Bacteriological Quality of Tilapia and Carp fillets Stored at Low Temperature

Abstract

This study examines the freshness and bacteriological quality of prepackaged trays containing fresh Tilapia fillets and Carp fillet stored at a low temperature of 4°C. The initial microbial counts and changes in these counts during storage were investigated. Tilapia fillets exhibited lower initial aerobic counts at both 30°C and 25°C compared to Carp fillet. Enterobacteriaceae counts were slightly higher than 4 log CFU/g initially, and they increased significantly during storage. The dominant enterobacteria species were Citrobacter freundii, Hafnia alvei, and Enterobacter cloacae. No Salmonella or antimicrobial residues were detected. Ethanol content in Carp fillet increased insignificantly until spoilage. A significant correlation was observed between ethanol content and viable counts at 30°C only when Carp fillet were spoiled. Tilapia fillets remained acceptable for 7 days, while Carp fillet showed signs of spoilage after 4 days. The findings emphasize the need to enhance quality control systems in European multinational retailers, particularly for imported salmon.