Effectiveness of scallop powder ice in reducing bacterial load on fresh whole fish and in the melted ice water

This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of sanitized ice in reducing the microbial load in fresh whole fish and in the melted water. Results showed that the sanitizers did not significantly affect the stability and the melting rate of the ice compared to the control. Washing the fresh whole fish with different sanitizers reduced approximately 1.5 log CFU/g of aerobic bacteria, 2.0 log CFU/g of coliform and 3.0 log CFU/g of Escherichia coli population. Washing fresh whole fish and followed by storage in ordinary ice at room temperature (RT) was able to retain the microbiological quality for 11 days compared to control, which was seen rotten at 8th days of storage. When washing fresh whole fish with tap water followed by storage in scallop powder (SP) ice at RT, maximum microbial and sensory quality retention was observed up to 17 days, and non-significant presence of microbiological contamination was detected in melted ice water up to 24 h. Changing of sanitized ice at 24 h maintained the fish quality better. Microbiological and organoleptic evaluation of the sanitized stored fresh whole fish at RT indicates a shelf life extension of 17 days when stored with SP ice.