Samples of raw fish, fish products, water, air and swabs from different surfaces were collected in a fish processing company. The total bacterial contamination, plus contamination by Listeria spp., Pseudomonas spp., enterobacteria, yeasts and micromycetes were determined. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from the raw fish samples, stored in the storerooms, from the floors of the ripening room, from the prepacking and filleting room, from samples of fish waste and from brine. Pseudomonas spp. strains were isolated during different stages of fish processing. Most bacterial isolates were identified as P. fluorescens biovar I. Particularly abundant Pseudomonas spp. bacteria were isolated from fish waste samples. The raw fish, the water and the brine were contaminated by low numbers of enterobacteria. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Yarowia lipolytica, Geotrichum fermentans and Candida glabrata were yeast species dominating in the raw fish and industrial environmental samples, although their numbers were low. Micromycetes of the genus Cladosporium and Penicillium were isolated in high numbers from fish waste samples.
Keywords: bacteria, enterobacteria, fish products, Listeria monocytogenes, micromycetes, Pseudomonas, yeasts.