Effect of Sodium Metabisulphite and Storage Temperature on the Survival of Vibrio cholerae on Prawns (Penaeus monodon)

Summary Sodium metabisulphite is traditionally used to control a non-microbiological spoilage symptom of prawns known as blackspot. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of sodium metabisulphite, at levels currently used to control blackspot, on the survival of V. cholerae on prawns during simulated commercial storage. Fresh prawns (Penaeus monodon) were divided into two batches, one of which was exposed to seawater while the other was treated with sodium metabisulphite (1%) in seawater. Two V. cholerae O1 strains were inoculated onto the prawns in separate experiments. Each of the batches were further sub-divided and stored either under chilled conditions (1.5 °C) for 14 days or under frozen conditions (−25 °C) for 49 days. At appropriate time intervals whole prawns were sampled and dilutions plated onto TCBS Cholera medium to determine numbers of V. cholerae. Experiments were performed in triplicate and uninoculated controls were included. Results indicated a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in numbers of V. cholerae on both chilled (~4 log units) and frozen (~2 log units) prawns over the storage period. A significantly (P < 0.05) greater decrease in numbers of the pathogen (up to 1.8 log units) on chilled sodium-metabisulphite-treated, as compared to chilled untreated, prawns was apparent. Sodium metabisulphite had a negligible effect on numbers of V. cholerae on frozen prawns. The use of sodium metabisulphite could be optimized and used to enhance the safety of chilled seafood in cholera-endemic countries.