Microbial and Chemical Properties of Mahyaveh: A Traditional Iranian Fish Sauce in Zarrin Dasht City, Iran

Mahyaveh is a fermented sauce made from fish. This study was conducted to investigate microbial and chemical properties of Mahyaveh in Zarrin Dasht city of Fars province, southern Iran.

Twenty-three samples were randomly collected in sterile containers and transferred to the laboratory. Acidophilic mesophilic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, coagulase positive Staphylococci, molds and yeasts were enumerated using plate count agar, de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) agar, Baird-parker agar and Dichloran-rose bengal chloramphenicol (DRBC) agar, respectively. The Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (AOAC) method was used to measure the pH and acidity of the samples.

The total number of mesophilic acidophilic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, coagulase positive Staphylococci and mold and yeast were 6.23±0.91, 5.78±1.02, 3.52±1.08, and 2.27±0.71 log CFU/gr, respectively. Comparing results with microbial standards in similar products, it was found that the number of coagulase positive Staphylococci in 58.33% of samples was higher than the standard. The pH mean of samples was 6.09±0.84 and the acidity was 0.9±0.29 (% lactic acid).

Since Mahyaveh is widely used in Southern provinces, standardization in this field, monitoring and hygienic control over production centers and the hygienic control of products in the markets seem necessary.