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SIGNIFICANCE OF FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH SMOKE‐CURED ETHMALOSA FIMBRIATA AND CLARIAS GARIEPINUS
Author(s) -
EDEMA M.O.,
AGBON A.O.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of food processing and preservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1745-4549
pISSN - 0145-8892
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4549.2009.00426.x
Subject(s) - clarias gariepinus , smoked fish , biology , aflatoxin , mycotoxin , food safety , food science , toxicology , fish <actinopterygii> , smoke , fishery , catfish , chemistry , organic chemistry
Fish species from the vast inland and coastal water bodies of Nigeria are usually smoked to reduce moisture and preserve the fishes for the arduous trips to urban markets. The most common source of deterioration is due to fungal attack. The present study investigated the fungi associated with two commonly smoke‐cured fish species, Ethmalosa fimbriata and Clarias gariepinus. The moisture content of the smoke‐dried fishes was between 14.42 and 26.70%, while the fungal count was between 10 5 and 10 6 cfu/g. This placed the fish samples in class B (microbiological status of the food is less than satisfactory but is still acceptable for consumption) of ready‐to‐eat foods. The fungi species isolated were mainly of the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium and 37.5 and 25% of these genera were probably toxigenic as they were tested positive for aflatoxin. The fact that these mold species are known producers of potent mycotoxins is significant from a food safety point of view.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The nutritional value of smoke‐cured fish is not significantly diminished by the smoking process, but the economic value may be determined by the quality of the fish presented for sale. This study has shown that the presence of fungi, particularly aflatoxigenic molds, in smoke‐cured Ethmalosa fimbriata and Clarias gariepinus is very significant from a food safety point of view. The practical applications of these findings should be aimed at quality assurance of these products in order to ensure that the smoking process is carried out hygienically and effectively to safe moisture levels that prevent proliferation of toxigenic fungi. It might also be necessary to ensure appropriate packaging and storage procedures to prevent postprocessing contamination by both handlers and consumers. The application of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles to smoked‐fish processing is also practicable.