Asian Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology & Environmental Sciences Paper

ISOLATION, IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ASSOCIATED BACTERIA ON NEMIPTERUS JAPONICUS AN EDIBLE MARINE FISH OF VISAKHAPATNAM COAST

T. LALITHA GOVARDHAN, B. KANAKA DURGA AND K. KAMAL RAJ

Abstract

As the fish is highly perishable food item due to bacterial contamination from the environment, the present study is aimed to isolate the associated bacteria in order to assess the quality and hygiene of edible marine fish, pink perch, Nemipterus japonicus. Raw, frozen and cooked samples of the fish were cultured under sterile conditions on various types of enriched and selective medias for 48 hours at 37oC. Bacteria isolates specially pathogens; Escherichia coli, Salmonella Sp., Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, the causative agents of food borne diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, salmonellosis typhoid and paratyphoid have been identified by employing various standard morphological and biochemical techniques. In the total plate count (TPC), the number of bacterial colonies per ml has been decreased as the dilution of the samples increased. The number of colonies found to be less in frozen samples than in raw samples and significantly no growth of colonies observed in cooked sample cultures, thereby indicating the processing, proper storage and cooking which is to be essential to maintain the quality and safety of the sea fish to the consumer.