Fish Microbiology and Quality Assurance

Unit 7 - Sanitation and microbiological quality

7.4. Fish plant sanitation
Consumers expect the foods to be pure, safe and processed, handled and served in a sanitary manner. Sanitary food is defined as one that is free of agents that cause disease or illness and free from objectionable extraneous material like insect fragments. Therefore, sanitation is concerned with the food and also the environment and conditions under which the food is handled.
Fish plant sanitation is defined as the controlling of all conditions or practices within the plant so that the fish processed is free from disease-producing microorganisms and foreign matter.

Requirements for an effective sanitation programme
Implementation of effective sanitation programme becomes necessary in any food processing industry. For a workable sanitation programme the following requirements have to be met.

• Management must be aware of the need for good sanitation.
• The processing unit should be suitably located and constructed.
• The processing unit must have required quantity of good quality water supply.
• The processing unit must have adequate washing facility for whole fish.
• The processing unit must have smooth working surfaces.
• The processing unit must have a sound clean-up policy.
• The processing unit must have adequate sanitary facilities.
• The processing unit must ensure good personal hygiene habits of employees.
• The processing unit must have effective rodent and insect control programme.

Need for hygienic practices
Practicing of proper hygienic practices by food handlers is of critical importance as they serve as fundamental sources of many microorganisms responsible for foodborne illnesses. Pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus is naturally associated with humans, and will contaminate the food unless proper care is taken. Production of toxin by this organism in any food is responsible for staphylococcal food poisoning.
The food handlers could also serve as carriers for many of the pathogenic microorganisms responsible for typhoid fever, dysenteries, salmonellosis, hepatitis etc. So, there is a need for acceptable hygienic practices by food handlers to prevent microbial contamination to food. Compliance to proper hygienic practices by the food handlers can be achieved only by educating them on the importance and need for personal hygiene practices.