Antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from fish processing factory workers

One hundred and twenty two strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from throats and palms of 39 workers from 6 fish processing factories situated in and around Cochin were tested for their sensitivity to nine commonly used antibiotics-ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, kanamycin, neomycin, penicillin, polymyxin-B, streptomycin and tetracycline. Highest percentage of resistance was observed towards ampicillin followed by penicillin i.e. 64.75% and 59.84%. Resistance towards other antibiotics like tetracycline, polymyxin-B, erythromycin, kanamycin, neomycin, chloramphenicol and streptomycin were shown by 22.95, 16.39, 7.38, 5.74, 3.28 and 1.64% of the isolates respectively.

Effect of demonstration in transferring fish processing technology

A group of 28 fisherwomen who attended demonstration on three subjects, namely, preparation of fish wafers, fish pickles and fish soup powder showed significant knowledge and skill gain for all the three messages. The total knowledge and skill gain was maximum for preparation of fish wafers followed by that for preparation of fish soup powder and fish pickles.

Adoption of recommended quality control practices by fish processing factories

Responses to mailed questionnaires from 31 fish processing factories revealed that for 55 recommended practices in quality control, the percentage of adopters varied from 21.43 to 100.The adoption index was not correlated to any of five variables studied. The mean adoption index did not differ significantly between five other criteria related to fish processing. Rate of rejection or reprocessing at the factory itself was highly correlated with the amount of water used per tonne of processed material.

On the pattern of Salmonella serotypes in fishery products, froglegs and processing environments

Thirty four different serotypes of Salmonella have been isolated from aquatic products. The number of serotypes from frozen froglegs were 22. Only four serotypes were isolated from frozen shrimps. S. weltevreden predominates in frozen shrimps and fish. S. roan and S. larochelle were isolated for the first time in India. Isolation of six rare serotypes of Salmonella has also been reported.

A scale to measure the attitude towards improved fish processing methods

An attitude scale was constructed to measure the attitude of fisherwomen towards improved fish processing methods. To construct the attitude scale, 'scale' and ‘Q’ values (the interquartile ranges) were calculated for 31 statements selected, based on the opinion of 34 judges. Based on the 'scale' and ‘Q’ values 16 statements were selected with eight favorable statements and eight unfavorable statements. The weightages given were 3, 2 and 1 for favorable statements and 1, 2 and 3 for unfavorable statements.

Relative retentivity of knowledge in fish processing by fisherwomen

Retention of knowledge in the preparation of fish pickle, fish wafers and fish soup powder for an experimental group of 20 fisherwomen selected from three fishing villages was studied. The knowledge retention immediately after exposure and also at intervals of 15 days and 30 days after exposure differed significantly.

Product development: market depends on good processing

The article presents the harvesting techniques, and handling and processing of cultured carps. Carps are harvested similarly with all other species in tropical countries while temperate countries, winter season is much considered. Water quality is an important factor to be considered because it can affect the hygienic and organoleptic quality of fish. Carps were commonly sold live, filleted, cut into sticks, frozen, used as breaded sticks, canned, bottled, and smoked.

An assessment of handling and processing methods used for the shrimp fishery by-catch in Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

The by-catch from the shrimp trawl fishery in Kalpitiya is mainly used for the production of dried fish, which provides an additional source of income for fishermen in the area. It has been observed that current handling practices along the value addition chain are responsible for the poor quality and low price of the end product. This study was aimed at identifying the shortcomings in such handling practices by fishermen and dried fish producers and assessing the quality of shrimp fishery by-catch along the processing chain in order to recommend more efficient utilization methods that will improve the quality of the end product. Fresh fish, dried fish and harbour water samples were tested for total coli forms, faecal coliforms, E. coli and Salmonella in order to assess their microbial quality: In addition, standard plate counts (SPC) of fish samples were also carried out. A survey was carried out from July-October 2006 at Kalpitiya, using a pre-tested questionnaire to collect information from individuals who have been engaged in dried fish processing. Average values obtained for freshly landed and dried fish respectively, were, SPC 9.88x10 super(5) CFU/g and 30.43x10 super(5) CFU/g, total coliforms 23.05 and 24.23 MPN/g and fecal coliforms 8.28 and 9.00 MPN/g. These values exceed the recommendations in the SL standards. A quarter of the landed fresh fish and 38% of dried fish from the producers were positive for E. coli and thus failed to show required end product quality. SPC of harbour water was 14.35x10 super(6) CFU/ml and all samples were found to be contaminated with E. coli. None of the fishermen and dried fish producers were satisfied with the quality of the end product. The reasons for poor quality as indicated by them were: limited availability of ice (75%), lack of infrastructure facilities (65%), uncertainty of markets (52%), lack of emphasis on quality (47%) and poor access to available technologies (41%). Respondents to the questionnaire also identified: unavailability of potable water, insulated boxes, good landing jetty, racks for drying fish, poor cold storage facilities and limitations in dried fish storage facilities, as further factors leading to the loss of quality in their products. Results demonstrate that improvements to the infrastructure facilities and conducting of proper awareness programmes on handling practices could lead for improvements in the quality of value added products prepared from the shrimp fishery by-catch at Kalpitiya.

New food processing equipment

The article presents new food processing equipment for coating and frying. These are predusters, liquid enrobers and applicators for large-particle crumbs.

Village level processing techniques

The agar-bearing seaweeds Gracilaria and Gelidium grow abundantly in the Asia-Pacific region. Production and post-harvest techniques and methods for processing Gracilaria to produce agar suitable for local market is necessary to increase the meager income of coastal dwellers. A flow diagram of a village level agar production is provided. A guide is also given for the quality of dried seaweeds, which are divided into 3 classes.

Implications of the industrial fish processing growth for the commercial fishery and fishers in Uganda

The study was undertaken to generate socio-economic information on fish market systems and performance of the industrial processing industry, which will guide the processes leading to modernization of the fisheries sector and, sustainability of Lake Victoria fisheries. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the socio-economic implications of the fish marketing systems with particular emphasis on fish export market in Uganda. The study thus, analysed the socio-economic characteristics of fishers and examinined fish marketing systems and the impacts on the fishing activities, food security, employment opportunities and incomes of fisher-folk communities.

The marketing, processing and distribution implications of trawling on Lake Victoria

Work which has been carried out by exploratory and stock assessment scientists indicates that some 200,000 metric tons of freshwater fish could be harvested annually from Lake Victoria. Haplochromis forms approximately 83 per cent of the total stocks