MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF SOUS VIDE FISH MEAT TREATED WITH HONEY

The research was aimed at studying the influence of sous vide heat treatment on the microbiological quality of fish meat marinated in honey sauce. The samples were vacuum packed and cooked at 55°C, 60°C, 65°C and 70°C for 15 minutes. The samples were first stored for 24 hours at 4°C and then stored for 7 days at 4°C. The microbiological quality of fish meat in honey sauce were examined. Microbiological indicators such as the total viable count (TVC), the number of coliform bacteria (CB) and the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were determined. The microbiota was identified by mass spectrometry using a MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics, Germany). Microbial counts varied significantly depending on temperature and storage in honey sauce. TVC in raw fish meat was 2.89 log CFU.g-1 stored at 4°C. TVC in raw fish meat was 4.56 log CFU.g-1 after 7 days of storage at 4°C. TVC in sous vide fish meat samples without honey ranged from 1.62 to 3.02 log CFU.g-1. TVC in sous vide fish meat samples with honey sauce was < 1 log CFU.g-1. The presence of coliform bacteria was not detected in the samples. LAB in raw fish meat was 2.47 log CFU.g-1 in the sample stored at 4°C. LAB in raw fish meat was 2.77 log CFU.g-1 after 7 days of storage at 4°C. LAB in sous vide fish meat samples without honey ranged from < 1 to 1.33 log CFU.g-1. LAB in sous vide fish meat samples with honey sauce ranged from < 1 to 2.66 log CFU.g-1. Our results show, that in the samples that were stored in honey sauce, the number of microorganisms decreased and even no microorganisms were detected.