Bacteriological Quality of Fresh Seafood Products from Seattle Retail Markets

Abstract

A microbiological survey of 287 (fresh) seafood products from Puget Sound retail markets was conducted over a period of I year. The microbiological quality of fresh seafood was high, with only 2.1 % of the samples exceeding the maximum limit for acceptability as suggested by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). The overall microbiological data of positive units given as arithmetic means were: coliforms MPN/g, 199; Escherichia coli MPN/g, 21; coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus MPN/g, 66; en-terococci/g, 9121; Clostridium perjringens/g, 18; Bacillus cereus/ g, 100; and Vibrio parahaemolyticus MPN/g, 3.7. The standard plate count means 1.0 X 10 3 to 2.5 X 10 7 colony-forming units (CFU)/g, giving a mean value of 2.0 x 10 5 CFU/g. The percentages of seafood samples positive for pathogens were S. aureus, 37.6; Yersinia enterocolitica, 3.8; V. parahaemolyticus, 2.8; C. perjringens, 2.4; and B. cereus, 0.7. Vibrio cholerae, Clos-tridium botulinum, Salmonella and Shigella species were not isolated .