Microbiology of fish and fish products

Research on the microbiology of fish and fish products has primarily focused on safety and spoilage, but more recently new preservation techniques such as the use of natural antimicrobial substances including live cultures has also been the subject of much research. The present paper will summarize some of the recent work carried out at the Danish Institute for Fisheries Research. A number of hazardous pathogens indigenous to the aquatic and general environment have been studied and their ecology in fish products and the environment has been elucidated. Similarly the specific spoilage organisms (SSO) for some fish products have been identified and studied in more detail. Finally, the trends in consumer demands towards the use of less chemical preservatives and a milder cure of products have lead to studies of new preservation techniques. While it is not intended to give a general and comprehensive review on the subject, our results will be discussed relative to other published data and suggestions for future research will be presented.