Chemical and sensory changes associated with microbial flora of Mediterranean boque (Boops boops) stored aerobically at 0, 3, 7, and 10 degrees C

The development of a microbial population and changes in the physicochemica l and sensorial characteristics of Mediterranean boque (Boops boops), calle d gopa in Greece, stored aerobically at 0, 3, 7, and 10 degrees C were stud ied. Pseudomonads and Shewanella putrefaciens were the dominant bacteria at the end of the storage period, regardless of the temperature tested. Enter obacteria and Brochothrix thermosphacta also grew, but their population den sity was always 2 to 3 log(10) CFU g(-1) less than that of pseudomonads. Th e concentration of potential indicators of spoilage, glucose and lactic aci d, decreased while that of the alpha-amino groups increased during storage. The concentrations of these carbon sources also decreased on sterile fish blocks inoculated with strains isolated from fish microbial flora. The orga nic acid profile of sterile fish blocks inoculated with the above-mentioned bacteria and that of naturally spoiled fish differed significantly. An exc ellent correlation (r = -0.96) between log(10) counts of S. putrefaciens or Pseudomonas bacteria with freshness was observed in this study.