Control of microbiological quality and shelf-life of catfish (Clarias gariepinus) by chemical preservatives and smoking.

Fresh catfish (Clarias gariepinus) were subjected to different concentrations of sodium benzoate or potasium sorbate and smoked traditionally before evaluation for microbiological, chemical and organoleptic characteristics during ambient tropical storage. Unsmoked fish samples showed diverse microflora (Enterobacter, Escherichia, Serratia, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Achlya genera) while smoked samples were dominated by Gram-positive bacterial flora (Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus) and spoilage moulds (Penicillium verrucosum, Aspergillus flavus and Achlya spp.). Significant reduction in microbial population occurred in most samples following smoking with samples subjected to 0.4% (w/v) potassium sorbate showing the lowest microbial load and maximum shelf-stability. However, marked microbial increase occurred after day 4 of storage in control and benzoate-treated samples. Changes in pH were marginal but decreased after day 12 of storage. Moisture content decreased sharply after smoking and remained low after day 4 of storage. Overall, potassium sorbate treatment (0.4% w/v) was most effective in controlling microbial quality and extended the shelf-life of the samples by 8 d.