Not AvailableRohu fish procured in fresh condition were stored aerobically at ambient temperature and analysed immediately and after 2, 4, 6, 8 and 24 h. The H2S producing bacteria (H2SPB) count was 2.45 log cfu/g in fresh fish and remained almost unchanged during the first 2 h of storage and thereafter showed a rapid increase reaching 4.40 log cfu/g after 8 h and 6.10 log cfu/g after 24 h of storage. During storage between 4 and 8 h which can be considered as the intermediate stage of spoilage of rohu, the H2SPB counts showed a sharp increase from 3.1 to 4.4 log cfu/g. H2SPB count of more than 3 log cfu/g appears to be the separating line between freshness (0 to 2 h) and loss of freshness in rohu. H2SPB were present in the mucus of rohu and their levels increased during storage. H2SPB appears to be a suitable indicator to detect spoilage in rohu and the use of skin mucus as a non-invasive sample to assess freshness quality appears promising.Not Availabl
