An investigation into quality changes in fresh fish which are commonly sold in Trabzon

SUMMARY An Investigation Into Quality Changes in Fresh Fish which are Commonly Sold in Trabzon In this study, the microbiological and biochemical quality of fish which commonly are sold in the Black Sea region was aimed to be investigated. Therefore, the analysis of total viable counts, thiobarbutiric acid (TBA), histamine, total volatile base- nitrogen (TVB-N) and pH were carried out for anchovies, which are commonly consumed at the mentioned area. A questionnaire was prepared to survey the frequency of seafood poisoning illness at the Black Sea region. According to the results, all the freshly caught fish was analysed was in the permitted limit for quality, except that three samples were above the permitted limit for histamine. The samples were stored at refrigerator had a shelf life of up to 2 days and after that rapidly lost quality. It was also found that there was a frequent seafood poisoning at the area where the research was carried out although the freshly sold samples were usually in good quality. Six people were reported to be poisoned from fish in November in 1996, by one of the hospital where the surveys were carried out. Between 1995 and 1996, thirty nine seafood poisoning cases were found among the 1660 people who were questioned by our survey. Key Words: Microbiological and biochemical deterioration, Histamine, TBA, TVB-N. VI