Titik Budiati*,Gulam Rusul,Wan Nadiah Wan- Abdullah,Rosma Ahmad,Yahya Mat Arip
The aim of this study was to determine the microbiological quality in catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and tilapia (Tilapia mossambica) obtained from wet markets and ponds in Malaysia. A total of 108 samples (32 catfish, 32 tilapia, and 44 water samples) were obtained from nine wet markets and eight ponds in Penang, Malaysia. The feed in fish ponds were chicken offal, spoiled eggs and commercial fish feed. Using standard procedures, aerobic plate counts (APC), coliform, fecal coliform including E. coli were performed. A total 31/32 of catfish and 31/32 of tilapia exceeded the recommended microbiological standard for the APC. E. coli was less than 3 MPN/g for all catfish and tilapia samples. Temperature and pH of water ponds ranged from 26 to 27.5ºC and 6 to 6.8, respectively. Homemade feed using chicken offal and spoiled egg may contribute to the microbiological quality in fish. This highlights the importance of feed in aquaculture system.