Application of sensory and
microbial analysis to assess quality
of fish in Siliguri city of West Bengal,
India
Prithwiraj Jha*, Rudra Prasad Roy and S. Barat
Department
of Zoology, University of North Bengal, Siliguri -
734 013, India
(Received: January 19, 2009; Revised
received: May 05,
2009; Accepted: May 27, 2009)
Abstract: Sensory and certain microbial analyses
were applied to assess the quality of raw fish sold at a market in Siliguri city of West Bengal,
India.
In regular surveys undertaken during June
to August 2008, a particular fish species was randomly selected, its source was
noted and a sensory analysis, the quality index method (QIM) was applied to
assess its quality. Raw fish samples were also collected and a small quantity
(about 1 g) of scales or an upper layer of the skin surface (for scale-less
fish samples), gill, liver and a portion of gut with gut-contents were
aseptically removed for enumeration of the total aerobic heterotrophic
bacteria, Aeromonas spp.,
Pseudomonas spp., Salmonella spp.
and coliform counts. Oreochromis
mossambicus and Tenulosa ilisha recorded significantly higher QIM scores, compared
to other species (p<0.05). Riverine fish, Lepidocephalichthys guntea and Channa punctatus scored the
lowest QIM scores (0) while scores for Puntius ticto and Mystus vittatus and pond cultured species like Cirrhinus
mrigala, Catla catla, Labeo rohita,
Labeo bata and Cyprinus carpio were very marginal
(p<0.05). Aeromonas spp.,
Salmonella spp. and total coliforms
were recorded from all the studied species while Pseudomonas spp. was isolated from only seven species. Among the
tissues examined, the lowest counts of total heterotrophic bacteria, Aeromonas spp., Pseudomonas spp., Salmonella spp. and total coliforms were recorded from the skin in every fish
species. Highest counts of pathogenic bacteria (except Pseudomonas spp.) were recorded in Tenulosa ilisha for all the tissues except liver. Since fish are
properly cooked in Bengali households, the risk of disease from fish
consumption is relatively less. However, some tribes residing in the region are
known to consume undercooked fish and proper cooking methods should be followed
in view of the present findings to avoid health risks. Besides, utmost care
should be taken while handling fish.
Key
words: Fish quality, Sensory,
Microbial analysis, Siliguri fish market
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