Control of xerophilic mould in traditional Egyptian salted fish, “Molouha”

Molouha is a traditional Egyptian salted fish prepared mainly from fresh water fish Hydrocynous froskali but also can be prepared from other fish types. Hence, xerophilic mould is predominant in this type of salted fish, this study was undertaken to investigate the efficiency of propionic acid to control the growth of xerophilic mould and mycotoxins production in Molouha. In this study, Molouha was prepared by wet salting method (ESS 2005) with the addition of propionic acid at concentration of 0.5, 1 and 2%. The results revealed that propionic acid treatment at 0.5% concentration reduced mould growth in the treated samples significantly (P 0.05) and inhibited completely the pathogenic species from producing mycotoxins with better color, odor and appearance of the treated samples. While 1 and 2% propionic acid treatments led to complete inhibition of mould growth, but due to their sour taste it was not accepted by the panelist. This study suggests the using of propionic acid as an effective method in inhibiting mould growth and mycotoxins production in salted fish. Only 0.5% is needed for a significant inhibition of mould growth and mycotoxins production.