Dar seafood ppp standard

Chilled/frozen whole fish and fillets: The food safety hazards present in fish for sale whole or as fillets are generally the same as present at catch/harvest (including ciguatoxin, parasites, metals and endogenous bacteria that are human pathogens), with the added possibility of contamination during gutting/filleting with endogenous bacteria that are human pathogens from the viscera, human enteric pathogens and viruses, and L. monocytogenes.
Whole fish and fillets will normally be stored, transported and displayed chilled or frozen. Histamine formation due to the action of endogenous spoilage bacteria in fish/fillets subject to time/temperature abuse is also a possible hazard [15]. In Japan, V. parahaemolyticus outbreaks associated with consumption of fish are not uncommon, but are usually due to consumption of raw or lightly cooked fish meals. Thorough cooking of fish will reduce or eliminate parasites, bacterial pathogens and viruses, but will have no effect on the concentrations of chemical contaminants (toxins and metals).
Canning: Sterilising and packaging techniques intended to extend shelf life and which produce anaerobic conditions (for example, cans, gas flushed pouches or packing in oil), can lead to toxin production if C. botulinum is present. However, bacterial growth does not occur at temperatures below 3.3°C, salt concentrations above 5 per cent and in marinades below pH 5.0. Various combinations of hurdles may be used to restrict microbial growth. Historically, the major concern would have been the risk of botulism from inadequately processed canned fish, in particular, salmon. However rigorous control of canning facilities worldwide has reduced this risk to very low.
Other hazards potentially present in canned fish include histamine, due to poor quality raw materials, and staphylococcal enterotoxin due to contamination. Both of these hazards may survive the canning process. Concentrations of metal contaminants will not be reduced by the canning process.

Smoking: There are two main forms of fish smoking. Hot smoking is a pasteurisation process. The product is cooked during the process, and parasites and bacterial contamination will be destroyed provided a uniform temperature is reached.
The FDA recommends that the internal temperature of the fish must be maintained at or above 63°C throughout the fish for at least 30 minutes during hot smoking [18]. During cold smoking, temperatures do not normally reach levels high enough for pathogen or parasite control.
The most significant hazard of concern with cold-smoked fish products is L. monocytogenes. While contamination of fish with L. monocytogenes at harvest is not usually significant, extensive contamination may occur post-harvest and during processing. The level of contamination varies between processing sites and may be high. Keeping a processing environment totally free of L. monocytogenes is difficult, but levels can be reduced significantly with appropriate management strategies [3].
L. monocytogenes present on cold-smoked fish may either be an endogenous environmental contaminant or be introduced by pre- or post-process contamination. Since cold smoking lacks a listericidal step, the product will retain a similar level of contamination. If subject to post-process contamination, hot smoked fish may allow L. monocytogenes to increase to high levels, due to the absence of competing micro-organisms [16].
Smoked fish is typically not heated prior to consumption, that is, it is ready-to-eat. Prolonged chilled storage may allow numbers of L. monocytogenes to increase to significant levels. While conditions in the processing environment have an impact on the initial levels of L. monocytogenes in the product, outgrowth can occur in the post-processing environment.
Cold-smoked fish may be held for considerable periods of time in the retail sector, and there is the potential for time/temperature abuse to occur. In delicatessens, this is exacerbated by the opportunity for further contamination, with S. aureus being the main pathogen of concern.
Other hazards in smoked fish products include V. parahaemolyticus, Salmonella spp., C. botulinum and parasites. V. parahaemolyticus is a contaminant of raw fish from warmer waters. The level of contamination may increase through post-harvest cross-contamination and by time/temperature abuse. Salmonella may be associated with fish due to harvesting from faecally contaminated water bodies, for example, lakes and closed aquaculture systems, or from contamination during processing. C. botulinum spores are often found in the gut of fish, and are a potential hazard in product that is not eviscerated prior to smoking. Some packaging technologies for extended shelf-life may also increase the risk of botulism by maintaining a suitable anaerobic environment for growth of vegetative cells and production of toxin. Parasites will normally be killed by hot smoking, but cold-smoked products may contain viable larvae if other control measures are not employed.