The bacteriology of ‘Scampi’(Nephrops norvegicus). I. Preliminary bacteriological, chemical and sensory studies

Summary A bacteriological, chemical and sensory study has been made of iced and uniced scampi (Nephrops norvegicus) stored at an ambient temperature of 2.2°C. After 8–10 days storage, the scampi became inedible due to the presence of strong, ammoniacal, sour odours and flavours. the bacterial counts, of iced and un-iced scampi, both of which were made at 20°C and 37°C, rose sharply after the fourth day reaching values of 106/g at 20°C and 104/g at 37°C at the end of the storage period. the initial bacterial flora, consisting mainly of coryneforms (80%), gradually changed during storage until it finally consisted mainly of Achromobacter species (70%). the total volatile base and trimethylamine content of the flesh also increased considerably during storage, reaching values of approximately 70 and 20 mg N/100 g flesh after 10–12 days; initial values were about 20 and 0.5 mg N/100 g flesh, respectively.