Microorganisms as a cause of economic loss to the sseafood industry

Direct loss of seafood products is more commonly due to microorganisms or their products than to any other cause. Bacterial spoilage of is probably still the major culprit but contamination by potentially hazardous microorganisms and the presence of toxins derived from microorganisms is a significant problem in shellfish and finfish from warm waters. Freezing raw product reduces traditional bacterial spoilage but new products produced from frozen material such as surimi and seafood analogues may present new and different problems. The focus of seafood scientists' attention has shifted in part to naturally occurring biochemical change due to endogenous enzyme systems. Toxins occurring in seafoods which may adversely affect sales as well as posing a direct hazard include scombroid toxin (probably histamine), ciguatera toxins, tetrodotoxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins and a number of others mostly associated with shellfish.