Studies on the red halophilic bacteria from salted fish and salt

Abstract

Red halophilic bacteria were isolated in pure culture from salted fish and solar salts. A description of one rod-shaped bacterium and a few cocci is given. Proteolytic tendencies were noticed both in the rod and in four of the cocci. While 37° C. and a relative humidity of 75% favoured good growth in laboratory media, at 4° C. there was no growth. Almost all the species of salted fish from Malpe, Calicut, Adirampatnam and Rameswaram, that were examined, developed red discolouration. Among the fishes salted in the laboratory, sharks and skates appeared to be susceptible to the attack earlier than the others and fatty fish like oil sardines developed it very late, if at all. The rod form was “trained” to grow in salt concentration of 3·5% while one coccus form grew in KCl medium in place of NaCl.