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Updated: Jan 27, 2026
Preparation of High-Quality Fermented Fish Product
Published on: August 23, 2019
Alcohol Production by Fish Spoilage Bacteria
Aejaz Ahamed1, Jack R Matches1
1Institute for Food Science and Technology, College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195.
Abstract:
Bacterial isolates (244) identified to genera were tested for their ability to produce ethanol, isopropanol and propanol in a fish tissue extract. All of the isolates produced ethanol and 241 and 227 produced isopropanol and propanol, respectively. One high alcohol producing member of each of the groups Moraxella -like, Pseudomonas , Flavobacterium , Micrococcus and coryneforms was selected for utilization of fish components as substrates in production of alcohol. The substrates tested included four sugars, nine amino acids and lactic and pyruvic acids. Although there were some variations in the levels of alcohols produced by the test organisms from the substrates, the organisms appeared to prefer simple 5 and 6 carbon sugars and then utilized the free amino acids. The level of oxygenation greatly affected the levels of alcohols produced.
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