BACTERIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF FROZEN CUTTLEFISH Sepia pharaonis TREATED WITH FOOD GRADE COMMERCIAL CHEMICALS

Cephalopods (including cuttlefish) are highly perishable like fishes and crustaceans and require suitable treatment to maintain the quality for export. It is reported that more than 58% of export rejections were related to bacteriological quality. Hence, the bacteriological quality of frozen cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis, Ehrenberg 1831) treated with commercial food grade chemicals was studied. Dressed cuttlefish were treated with two chemicals Hidratech_4A (0.4%) and Whitech_3 (0.25%) dissolved in chilled freshwater and chilled saltwater. Chilled cuttlefish not treated with any chemical served as control. Cuttlefish were then quick frozen at -40ºC in contact plate freezer and stored at -18±1ºC. Samples were tested after pre-processing, treatments and freezing and during cold storage at monthly intervals for 7 months. The bacteriological quality evaluation included Total Plate Count (TPC), Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella. Study revealed a better quality of treated samples than control. Bacteriological quality of cuttlefish treated with salt water was better than the one treated in freshwater and control. Salmonella and V. cholerae were absent.

Materials and methods

Pharaoh Cuttlefish (S. pharaonis, Ehrenberg 1831) procured from Tuticorin fishing harbour was pre-processed into Cuttle Fish Whole Cleaned (CFWC) style at an EU approved seafood processing plant and divided into three lots, first lot was treated with Hidratech_4A (0.4 %), Whitech_3A (0.25 %) and common salt (2%) in 30 Kgs of potable freshwater chlorinated to a level of 2 ppm available chlorine. Second lot was treated similarly but in saltwater (2 ppt) and third lot without any chemical treatment was kept as control and were frozen in horizontal contact plate freezer in commercial condition (-40ºC, 90 min.) at an EU approved seafood freezing plant. Samples were tested for Total Plate Count (TPC), Escherichia coli and human pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella. The bacteriological quality of cuttlefish was evaluated after pre-processing, treatments and freezing and during storage at monthly intervals for 7 months.

Results and Conclusion

The results are given in the table below.The bacteriological quality of cuttlefish (CTCF and CTCS) treated with commercial food grade chemicals (Hidratech_4A and Whitech_3) was found better than that of control (CNTC).