Assessment of Microbial Contamination and Safety of Commercial Shrimp Jeotgal (Salt Fermented Shrimp)

This study monitored and compared the contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria, coliform groups and S. aureus of 16 Shrimp Jeotgal (Salt Fermented Shrimp) products from 3 traditional markets (TM), 3 department stores (DS) and 3 super markets (SM) located on seoul, Korea. Moreover this study was carried out to survey the concentrations of NaCl and heavy metal (lead; Pb) of the Shrimp Jeotgal. The contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria in the Shrimp Jeotgai were as a mean and for TM, for SM. The coliform groups were contaminated in 50% of Shrimp Jeotgal and it means that the hygienic control is needed urgently. S. aureus were not detected in every sample. The levels of NaCl were between 17.9 and 28.5%. Heavy metal (lead; Pb) was detected in only 1 product at the level of 0.02 ppm out of 16 products. Although microbiological contamination levels of Shrimp Jeotgal were not much high, hygienic management like HACCP is thought to be needed for the production of Shrimp Jeotgal in traditional market.