The Effect of Organic Acid, Trisodium Phosphate and Essential Oil Component Immersion Treatments on the Microbiology of Cod ( Gadus morhua ) during Chilled Storage.

Spoilage is a major issue for the seafood sector with the sale and exportation of fish limited by their short shelf-life. The immediate and storage effects of immersion (30 s at 20 °C) with 5% ( w / v ) citric acid (CA), 5% ( v / v ) lactic acid (LA), 5% ( w / v ) capric acid (CP) and 12% trisodium phosphate (TSP) (experiment 1) and essential oil components (EOC) (1% ( v / v ) citral (CIT), 1% ( v / v ) carvacrol (CAR), 1% ( w / v ) thymol (THY) and 1% ( v / v ) eugenol (EUG)) (experiment 2) on the concentrations of indicator (total viable counts (TVC) (mesophilic and psychrophilic) and total Enterobacteriaceae counts (TEC)), and spoilage organisms ( Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Brochothrix thermosphacta , Photobacterium spp. and hydrogen sulphide producing bacteria (HSPB)) on cod ( Gadus morhua ) (stored aerobically at 2 °C) was investigated. There was no significant reduction for most treatment-bacteria combinations, with the following exceptions; TSP and TVCm (time t = 6), TSP and TVCp ( t = 6), CP and LAB ( t = 6, 8 and 10), CP and Br. thermosphacta ( t = 4, 6, 8, 10, 14 and 16), TSP and Photobacterium spp. ( t = 4), CAR and Br. thermosphacta ( t = 6) and CAR and HSPB ( t = 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18). Although the majority of treatments did not significantly ( P > 0.05) reduce bacterial counts, the limited success with CP and CAR warrants further investigation.