Microbiological Studies Of Shrimp Spoilage

ABSTRACT

Bacterial counts of samples of freshly caught shrimp3, Penaeus duorarum and of see water from Nigeria, were carried out for a period of ton months, from April 1975 to January 1976. A monthly variation in the size of the bacterial populations of shrimps and son water was observed.

Gram-positive bacteria were generally more abundantly isolated than Gram-negative bacteria from shrimps and 998 water. Coryneforns predominated the isolates. Next in abundance were micrococci, followed by staphylococci. Other genera occurring on shrimps and in son water were Acinetobacter spp, Bacillus app. Flavobacterium spp. Pseudomonas spp. Some bombers of Enterobacteriaceae, Aeromonas spp and 'Moraxella spp. The flora of the shrimp after spoilage at chilled temperature consisted mainly of Pseudomonas spp, and at room temperature consisted mainly of Aeromonas Spp.

Aerobic bacterial flora of smoked shrimps obtained from markets in Lagos and Port Harcourt was examined. The bacterial loads ranged from 10870 3.3 to 10620 9.4. The 180lates were mostly Gram-positive, micrococci and coryneforms.