ABSTRACT
Phylogenetically, the trivial term fish covers a far wider range of genera and species than any other food group. Fish is taken to cover fin fish, elasmobranches such as sharks and rays, crustacean and molluscan shellfish, and runicates such as squids. The microorganisms found on fresh fish reflect their environment. Colour preservation is of less importance in most fish species than for red meat products. Fish do have haem pigments and shellfish have analogous prosthetic groups with copper ions instead of iron. Microbiologists have adopted the experimental approach to determining product safety and have recently taken to the technique of mathematically modelling their own and other researchers’ data to predict safety. The time-temperatures achieved during hot smoking should be sufficient to destroy any toxin in the starting material. Thus, in smoked fish, the microorganisms normally present are inhibited and the safety margin is increased and so the shelf life is extended.
