Characterization of culturable bacterial community associated with Thunnus tonggol (longtail tuna) and Caranx sem (blacktip trevally) marketed in the fish market of Muscat (Oman)

The present study was conducted to evaluate the freshness of two Omani fishes; Thunnus tonggol (Longtail Tuna) and Caranx sem (Blacktip trevally), marketed in the fish market of Muscat, through the characterization of the bacterial community as an indicator for fish quality. Therefore, 15 fishes from each type were collected from Muscat fish market during the period between September 2019 and October 2021. Skin surface of the fish was examined. Ten grams of each fish were cut from skin surface under aseptic conditions. The cut samples were homogenized and diluted in sterile water. Samples were then cultivated and identified by routine biochemical identification tests and confirmed by the identification system EPI20E when appropriate. A total of 13 bacterial species were detected including A. hydrophila, A. salmonicida, C. freundii, E. piscicida, E. tarda, H. alvei, L. garvieae, S. marcescens, Y. ruckeri, E. coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Among the thirteen bacterial specie, A. hydrophila, A. salmonicida, Y. ruckeri, E. coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were found to be common in all collected samples.&nbsp