This study assessed microbial contamination in seven fried fish pastes sold in Southeast Asian traditional markets during summer. It measured viable cell count, coliforms, Escherichia coli, fungi, and Staphylococcus spp. It also qualitatively analyzed...
This study assessed microbial contamination in seven fried fish pastes sold in Southeast Asian traditional markets during summer. It measured viable cell count, coliforms, Escherichia coli, fungi, and Staphylococcus spp. It also qualitatively analyzed Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Clostridium perfringens. The average viable cell count, coliforms and fungi were detected as 6.34 (3.84–8.13), 2.16 (1.00–3.55), and 3.92 (1.85–7.74) log10 CFU/g, respectively. Staphylococcus spp. was detected at 4.59 (2.10–7.63) log10 CFU/g. Some samples had high contamination levels: viable cell count (8.13 log10 CFU/g), fungi (7.74 log10 CFU/g) and S. aureus (7.63 log10 CFU/g). However, E. coli was not detected in any samples (ND, <1 log10 CFU/g). V.
parahaemolyticus, Salmonella spp., B. cereus, L. monocytogenes, and Cl. perfringens were also not detected in the samples. The microbial contamination data provide insight into managing microbial contamination and ensuring the safety of fried fish pastes in traditional summer markets.