Incidence and low temperature survival of Salmonella in fishery products

Abstract

Salmonella was isolated from 12 % of PD shrimps, 10 % of HL shrimps, 14 % of PUD shrimps, 17 % of lobsters, 14 % of cuttle fish, 25 % of cat fish and 20 % of seer fish (all frozen) tested. One percent of the fish meal, 4 % of dried non-penaeid prawn and 23 % of sea beach sand showed incidence of the organism. Salmonella was also isolated from 2 and 4 % of the swab samples of utensil surfaces and the floor surface of the processing hall respectively as wen as from 1 % of the process water tested. AH the serotypes of Salmonella tested were resistant to freezing at -40°C, but during subsequent storage at - 20°C, there was some difference between the serotypes with regard to their viability, S. paratyphi B being the most resistant which survived upto 9 months while S. saintpaul the least resistant having survival up to 5 months only.