Abstract:

The changes in microbe quantity and physico-chemical properties were studied during processing of cured silver carp through traditional method. Over the whole processing, moisture declines but NaCl content increases significantly. The growth of various microorganisms slows down, and the contents of non-protein nitrogen and free amino acids decrease during the curing. However, the microbe amount significantly increases in the former phase of drying, and the contents of non-protein nitrogen (NPN), free amino acids and TBA increase significantly over the whole phase of drying. The dominant microbial groups in cured fish were lactic acid bacteria, Micrococcus, Staphylococcus and yeast. Both curing and drying processes affect the composition of free amino acids in the muscle of silver carp. The contents of methionine, glutamic acid, valine, serine and threonine are higher in cured fish than those in raw muscle, and they may play an important role in flavor formation of cured silver carp.

Key words: cured fish, microorganism, physico-chemical characteristics