Hi Linda,
Could you clarify whether you are referring to raw fish and shrimp or cooked
ready-to-eat products? Obviously the later category would merit stricter
standards. Also note that scientifically there is no correct minima or
maxima for any microorganism in foods. Each regulatory body and buyer can
have their own criteria (with or without scientific merit).
To give you an extreme example of where criteria could be misleading is
illustrated by work in my lab where we added substantial numbers of "good"
microorganisms to antagonize "bad" microorganisms. In this case the
artificial criteria would be exceeded even though the product is better.
See the following as an example.
Kim, C.R., J.O. Hearnsberger, A.P. Vickery, C.H. White, and D.L. Marshall.
1995. Sodium acetate and bifidobacteria increase shelf-life of refrigerated
catfish fillets. Journal of Food Science 60:25-27.
Therefore, I would urge caution, particularly for a consumer-based magazine,
that you completely discuss the pros and cons of microbiological criteria
before unnecessarily causing harm to an industry and fear among unknowing
consumers.
You may be able to find the following reference, which has some old
recommendations. There might be a newer 1986 update of the book.
ICMSF. 1974. Sampling plans for fish and fishery products, pp. 92-104. In:
Microorganisms in Foods, Vol. 2. Sampling for Microbiological Analysis.
Principles and Applications. The International Commission on
Microbiological Specifications for Foods. University of Toronto Press.
Should you wish to discuss this matter privately please advise.
Doug (a long-term subscriber)
********************************************
Douglas L. Marshall, Ph.D.
Professor & Food Scientist
Department of Food Science & Technology
Mississippi State University
Box 9805
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9805 USA
Ph 662-325-8722
Fax 662-325-8728
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/fst/Homepage
********************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu]On
Behalf Of Greene, Linda
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2000 1:00 PM
To: 'seafood@ucdavis.edu'
Subject: Microbiological Criteria for fresh/previously frozen finfish
and shrimp
I'm looking for microbiological limits for total plate count, fecal coliform
and E. coli for fresh/frozen finfish and shrimp.
I've found some criteria in the Compendium for Fishery and Fishery Products,
though there are no guidelines for fecal coliform/E. coli which apply to
finfish and shrimp.
Does anyone have suggestions as where to look?
Linda Greene
Consumers Union
greeli@consumer.org
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