Microbiological analysis of fish (Centropomus robalito) marketed for humanconsumption

Fish is a highly nutritious food, traded and consumed worldwide. Due to its intrinsic properties, fish is susceptible to deterioration and microbiological contamination throughout the food chain, generating risks to the health of consumers. Foodborne diseases are considered a global health problem mainly due to their incidence, mortality, and negative economic repercussions, and fish have been related in numerous cases, with microorganisms being the most commonly implicated causative agents. The objective of the study was the microbiological analysis of fish (Centropomus robalito) processed and marketed in popular market fishmongers in the city of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. The microbiological analysis consisted of the determination of aerobic mesophiles (AM), total coliforms (TC), fungi (F), yeasts (Y) and Salmonella spp. The results indicated microbiological contamination in 100% of the samples, where for AM there were proportions that oscillated between 7.25×103 and 1.41×106 CFU/g, TC from 1×103 and 1.05×106 CFU/g, F between 45 and 2×103 CFU/g and for Y from 30 to 5.03×103 CFU/g. Meanwhile, Salmonella spp. was only detected in 16.6% of the total samples. It was concluded that processed and marketed fish present bacteriological and mycological contamination and may represent a risk to the health of consumers. Therefore, it is recommended to implement procedures for good hygiene practices in handling and conservation to improve and reinforce the safety conditions of this type of food.