Assessment of Hygiene Status of Retail Fish Market using Seasonal Changes in Microbial Load as a Tool

Abstract

The hygienic status of the Battala retail fish market
Agartala, Tripura, India was assessed by microbiological
analysis of Total Plate Count (TPC), Total
Coliform Count (TCC), Total Psychrophilic Count
(TPSC) and Total Staphylococcus Count (TSC) from
the fish skin swabs, retailers’ hand swabs, water, ice,
selling platform swabs and cutter swabs. The
presence of coliforms and Staphylococcus in higher
counts in the samples was an indication of
contamination from human source. The average
TPC ranged from 3.82 to 6.59 log cfu cm-2 ml-1 in
fish skin, ice, water and other contact surfaces
(selling platforms, retailers’ hand swabs and cutter)
and was found above acceptable limit in almost all
samples which was clearly a reflection of prevailing
unhygienic condition of the market. Psychrophilic
bacteria count (5.07-6.77 log cfu cm-2 or ml-1) was
significantly high (p<0.05) in fish skin and ice which
may be due to the prolonged storage of fish in ice,
the use of poor quality water for ice manufacturing
and contamination from fish and ice box during
transportation. Total coliform count in fish skin,
wash water, ice and all contact surfaces ranges from
3.72 to 5.21 log cfu cm-2 or ml-1 during the study
period. Unacceptable level of coliforms in all
samples is indicative of the contamination with
faecal matter and with the enteric pathogens as well.
Staphylococcus sp count (3.77-5.38 log cfu cm-2 or ml-
1) for all the samples exceeded the acceptable limit
which indicated the poor personal hygiene maintained
among the retailers. So the results call for
improvements in general infrastructure of this fish
market to maintain good sanitation and hygiene.