Bacterial diversity and changes towards spoilage micro flora of iced Alaska pink salmon

Fresh, iced Alaska pink salmon were stored upto 20 days with samples of skin, gills and belly cavity analyzed for bacterial flora developments. Bacterial colonies isolated from plates used to estimate aerobic bacterial populations were identified using rapid cellular fatty acid analysis. Acidovorax spp. and Brevundimonas spp. were identified as part of the fresh fish microflora. The group consisting of Psychrobacter, Moraxella and Acinetobacter were present throughout salmon storage but were found only associated with fish skin and gills. Pseudomonas fluorescens and P. putida formed a major percentage of the spoilage flora and Shewanella putrefaciens comprised the minor portion in sampled tissues. The replacement of using the Sherlock Microbial Identification System for classical taxonomic tests resulted in time, material and labor savings. Also, the database provided a deeper view of the bacterial diversity and changes in bacterial flora that occurred during iced salmon storage.