Bacteriophage Cocktail Effectively Prolonging the Shelf-Life of Chilled Fish

Abstract

We developed a technological accessory bacteriophage-based preparation and a method for phage-mediated bioprocessing for elimination of pathogenic microorganisms from the surface of fresh fish and for prolongation of the shelf-life of chilled hydrobionts. Specimens of rainbow trout (Salmo irideus) served as the objects of the study carried out at a fish-processing plant in the Republic of Karelia. The specimens were decontaminated by a bacteriophage cocktail containing six original virulent phage strains characterized by their pheno- and genotypical properties. A new method of biodecontamination (plunging the rainbow trout for 30 sec into a solution of bacteriophage cocktail (bacteriophage titers ≥10⁸ PFU/ml) delayed bacterial degradation of hydrobionts by 3 days. The use of the new method for decontamination of food half-products — phage-mediated bioprocessing — promoted preservation of the initial ecological purity, nutritive value, and taste of the products and prolonged their shelf-life in comparison with the actual standards.