The microbial ecology of processing equipment in different fish industries—analysis of the microflora during processing and following cleaning and disinfection

The microflora adhering to the processing equipment during production and after cleaning and disinfecting procedures was identified in four different processing plants. A total of 1009 microorganisms was isolated from various–agar plates and identified. A stepwise procedure using simple phenotypic tests was used to identify the isolates and proved a fast way to group a large collection of microorganisms. Pseudomonas, Neisseriaceae, Enterobactericeae, Coryneform, Acinetobacter and lactic acid bacteria dominated the microflora of cold-smoked salmon plants, whereas the microflora in a plant processing semi-preserved herring consisted of Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes and Enterobactericeae. Psychrobacter, Staphylococcus and yeasts were found in a caviar processing plant. Overall, many microorganisms that are often isolated from fish were also isolated from the fish processing plants. However, some selection depending on processing parameters occurred, since halo- and osmo-tolerant organisms dominated in the caviar processing. After cleaning and disinfection, yeasts, Pseudomonas, Neisseriaceae and Alcaligenes remained in smokehouses, yeasts and Pseudomonas in the herring plant and Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and yeasts in the caviar plant. The dominant adhering organisms after cleaning and disinfection were pseudomonads and yeasts independently of the microflora during processing. Knowledge of the adhering microflora is essential in the Good Hygienic Practises programme of food processing plants, as the development and design of improved cleaning and disinfecting procedures should target the microorganisms persisting and potentially contaminating the product.