Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4.4
Summary of the number of seafood-borne illness outbreaks and cases attributed
to fi sh and shellfi sh in Japan, 2003 to 2007
Category
Outbreaks
Patients
Death
Number
Shellfi sh
230
2,968
0
Puffer fi sh (Fugu)
177
237
11
Others
141
2,413
0
Total fi sh and shellfi sh
548
5,618
11
Fish paste
1
83
0
Others
391
4, 237
0
Total fi sh products
392
4,320
0
Total
940
9,938
11
Source: Derived from (Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan, 2008).
Consumer Perceptions of Seafood Safety and Quality
Safety and quality regarding seafood have very different meanings to the
microbiologist and seafood technologist than they do to the consumer.
Safety usually refers to the risk level associated with illness or death
caused by the consumption of a seafood product that is contaminated with
a microbiological or parasitic organism, a naturally occurring poison or a
chemical contaminant. Quality is most often related to appearance, odor,
fl avor and texture. Consumers and media often mix the two concepts,
when in fact low quality seafood can be quite safe to eat and seafood with
low-risk safety factors, but high in quality, might not actually be considered
high quality by a consumer. In addition, many sellers of seafood have a
limited understanding of consumers' preferences for seafood, even if they
could be recognized (FAO 1998).
Quality and safety become multi-dimensional and consumers have
great diffi culty in determining and observing actual seafood quality
(Anderson and Anderson 1991). Some of the attributes that affect
seafood quality are: nutritional value, incidence of parasites, presence of
microorganisms and bacteria, shelf life, taste, level of additives, the use
of certain treatments such as irradiation, the presence of pesticides or
preservatives, discoloration, size, presence of bones, scars or cuts, odor
and uniformity among others. A mixture of safety and quality factors can
also affect the acceptance of seafood to the consumers. Therefore, in order
to ensure safe seafood government intervention or regulation is required.
Microbiological Quality Assessment of Seafood
Microbiological quality assessment is an essential point of seafood
processing and distribution chains. Bacterial populations found in the skin
and digestive tract of seafood are considered as natural populations. This
indigenous fl ora is composed of several microorganisms, some of them can
