Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Abstract

Catfish Special Edition: Microbial Quality of Catfish Nuggets

Kathleen T. Rajkowski, Steven G. Hughes, Jennifer Cassidy and Heidi Wood-Tucker

Catfish nuggets the pieces of muscle tissue are produced by trimming filets during processing and cannot be sold as whole catfish fillets. There is little information regarding the microbial quality of raw nuggets. Catfish nuggets, purchased either fresh or frozen from local retailers in the northeast United States (NJ, NY, PA, and DE), were tested for aerobic plate count (APC) at 22 and 37°C, Enterobacteriaceae, and Escherichia coli/coliform using Petrifilms™. The BAX® polymerase chain reaction system was used to determine the presence of Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria spp., and O157:H7. The overall average for APC at 22 and 37°C was 6.0 and 5.4 log10 CFU/g, respectively, which is within the finfish standard recommended by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food (ICMSF). No E. coli or E. coli O157:H7 was detected. Of the 150 nuggets tested, three were positive for Salmonella spp. and two were positive for enterotoxin negative S. aureus. Listeria spp. was detected, which is consistent with the findings of previous reports. The results obtained in this study were consistent with those obtained in other studies which assessed the microbial quality of finfish products.