Microbiological Profiles and Storage Temperatures of Egyptian Fish and Other Sea Foods

Abstract

Raw and cooked fish and other sea foods (108 samples) were collected from hotels of different classes, restaurants, markets, street vendors, and small cook-shops and analyzed for common foodborne pathogens. Salmonellae were isolated from two samples of raw shrimp, but not from raw fish and other seafoods. Shigella was isolated from one sample of raw fish and from two samples of raw shrimp. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was isolated from three raw fish samples and one raw shrimp sample. Forty-eight percent of samples of raw fish, 30% of samples of raw shrimp, and a sample of raw mussels and a sample of crab contained Staphylococcus aureus. Cooked products were free from salmonellae, shigellae and V. parahaemolyticus, but approximately 1/3 of these contained S. aureus, which suggests contamination after cooking. Aerobic colony count (30°C) of cooked fish and shellfish dishes was more than a million organisms/g. Such large numbers of microorganisms on cooked products suggests either a prolonged holding time or gross contamination after cooking.