Effect of smoking duration on the microbiological quality of cold-smoked Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (Linnaeus, 1758)

This study evaluated the effect of varying smoking durations of 6, 6.5, 7 and 7.5 hours on the microbiological quality and percentage moisture content of cold-smoked Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua. The fish sample were cold-smoked using the traditional drum oven. Four batches of the smoked fish were stored in metal baskets at ambient temperatures for a period of 12 days and assessed for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli loads, Mould count, Total Plate Count and Total Coliform Count. Analyses of the smoked fish samples were carried out at the initial stage (day 0) and subsequently every alternate days (i.e. days 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12). Significant variations (P < 0.05) were obtained for all the microbial counts on the four smoked fish samples. The best microbiologically stable cold-smoked samples were that smoked at the longest duration of 7.5 hours. This produced the least mean microbial load range of TPC (1.50 x 103 - 2.00 x 105cfu/g); TCC varied from 0.0MPN/g to 12.0 MPN/g ; Mould count (1.32 x103 - 2.55 x 105 cfu/g) and Staphylococcus aureus (3.0 x103 - 1.35 x 105cfu/g) while percentage moisture content ranged between 25.3% to 15.2%. All the samples tested negative to Escherichia coli