Assessment of the microbiological quality of smoked fish in traditional and improved ovens in Togo

The development of new processing technologies should make it possible to obtain good quality products that meet the required sanitary standards compatible with good consumer health. To this end, the general objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of improved smoking processes on the safety of smoked fish in Togo. The study compared the traditional and improved smoking system introduced in Togo within the framework of an agricultural sector support project in order to determine the microbiological quality of smoked fish and to assess the impact of the new smoking technologies for the benefit of the target beneficiary groups and consumers. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among women processors through a process survey and microbiological laboratory tests. The data show that fish smoking is done by women, the majority of whom are between 25 and 30 years old. The women processors use several types of combustible during smoking. With regard to microbiological quality, of the five (05) germs tested, compliance with the standards was only found for "coagulase positive staphylococci". The results of the microbiological tests were unsatisfactory for the "FMAT" germs. As for the hygiene control and spoilage germs "faecal coliforms", 38.5% of the results were unsatisfactory. The presence of FMAT, CTT indicates that the smoking and cooling process was poorly conducted, these germs can remain and proliferate in the smoked fish after smoking. The non-observance of good hygiene practices and the unsanitary environment of the production workshops would be at the origin of the post-smoking microbial contamination.