Evaluation of Bacteria Composition in Smoked Fish Processed in Yeji-Pru East District, Ghana

Background: Fish safety and quality have been a major area of public health concern. This situation was heavily influenced by several factors ranging from the harvesting environment to the dining table.

Aim: This study aimed at assessing the bacteriological quality of smoked fish in three (3) major fish processing communities in the Yeji-Pru East District, Ghana.

Study design: The study was a comparative cross-sectional design to explore bacteria species occurrence and abundance (loads) of smoked fish in Yeji-Pru East District, Ghana. It also was directed towards determining the characteristics of the situation as it existed during the period of the study, from June to December 2017.

Method: A closed-ended structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data from 20 owners of the fish processing site. Forty-eight smoked fish samples including; Oncorhynchus sp., Clupea harengus, Chrysichthys auratus and Oreochromis niloticus were surface sterilised, rinsed and dried at 45°C for 24 hours. Ten grams of each fish sample were diluted with 10 ml of Buffered Peptone Water. Further dilution was prepared using 5 ml of the same diluent. The prepared samples were made to settle for isolations and later inoculated on MacConkey Agar, Shigella-Salmonella Agar, and Salt Mannitol Agar. Microbial colonies were then enumerated using the pour plate method. Data collected were analysed using Microsoft Excel, SPSS and Interactive Chi-square Test at a test significance of 5%.

Results: The results showed absence of Salmonella and Shigella in all fish samples studied. However, it revealed the presence of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus species at a rate of 79.2 (n= 38) and 89.6% (n= 43), respectively. The microbial load for E. coli and Staphylococcus species were community specific. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the microbial loads in fish samples obtained at each study site. However, there was no spatial variation in the mean microbial abundances of each selected sample (p > 0.05). The bacteria load observed were lower than the permissible level for human consumption authorised by both the Ghana Standards Authority and the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods.

Conclusion: The study showed that the pre-smoking and post-smoking activities along the fish processing chain could affect the microbial load and diversity. Therefore, the adoption of a good processing practice was highly advocated.