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The infestation of Anisakis spp. in Chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) may have significant health and socioeconomic implications. Understanding the spatio-seasonal occurrence of Anisakis spp. in its host, S. japonicus, is crucial ecologically and for effective management. This research aimed to develop a predictive map (spatial-seasonal patterns) for Anisakis’s infestation in S. japonicus using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm. Anisakis spp. and S. japonicus occurrences were obtained through a comprehensive Bibliographic analysis of the Scopus database (2017-2022) and the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) database to collect the necessary data. Environmental predictors were sourced from the Global Marine Environment Data. The resulting model demonstrated a reliable performance, as indicated by an Area Under Curve (AUC) value on the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) chart exceeding 0.8. The findings of this study revealed that the infestation of Anisakis spp. in S. japonicus is projected to be more prevalent during the fourth quarter of each year. Furthermore, the environmental factors influencing the infestation were identified as diffuse attenuation, water depth, and distance from the coast. These research outcomes can be a foundational reference for developing an effective control system for inspecting fresh or frozen fish within the quarantine department. By utilizing the spatial-seasonal patterns and environmental predictors identified in this study, authorities can implement targeted measures to prevent and mitigate the infestation of Anisakis spp. in S. japonicus, safeguarding public health and maintaining the quality of fish products.

Pathogenic bacteria are commonly found as natural contaminants in seafood and fish products. Globally, several countries have been imposing strict regulations on the maximum levels of pathogens and consequently require microbial testing of pathogens before the products can be marketed. A culture-based method with biochemical assay has been widely used to detect pathogenic bacteria in food, despite its long and extensive process. Meanwhile, the alternative molecular-based method to overcome this problem, cannot differentiate between viable and nonviable cells, which may lead to underestimation. This study aimed to develop a multiplex PCR (mPCR) method as a confirmatory assay for the culture-based method to detect pathogens in fish products simultaneously. This method applied a pre-enrichment step to ensure the growth of low-level pathogens and the injured cells in the sample. The target genes were ToxR, InvA, and UidA for Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli, respectively. This assay also amplified the 16S rDNA gene of bacteria as an internal control for the PCR reaction. By implementing liquid-based DNA extraction during analysis, the developed-mPCR was comparable to detect the targeted bacteria in artificially-contaminated samples. The method was more sensitive in naturally-contaminated samples, where the number of E. coli, Salmonella spp. and V. parahaemolyticus detected were 28, 7, and 22, respectively. While the conventional method only detected 26, 5, and 19 of the respective pathogens. With a relatively shorter time and lower operation cost, the mPCR method is potential as an alternative for the culture-based method.

Chitosan-starch blend film showed desirable elongation and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) values and demonstrated rapid degradation in soil burial treatment. The incorporation of higher glycerol concentration lowered tensile strength but increased the amount of transmittable water vapour. The biodegradability of chitosan-starch based film was tested using soil burial test. Chitosan-starch blend films were able to degrade naturally at slightly similar period, ranging from 72–87 days. The addition of glycerol was likely contributed to the high Water Vapour Transmission Rate (WVTR) value which faster the biodegradability of the film in soil. Among different type of acid solutions, lactic acid is less preferable solution to dissolve chitosan as it produced film with poor mechanical properties compared to acetic and formic acid. Based on its mechanical limitation, the film can be used as a coating based film for certain type of fish product, especially product with high lipid content.

Increasing fish consumption value should be supported by enhancing the safety and quality of fish products. Microbiological level is most of importance since every food contains microorganisms which could multiplicate due to temperature abuse and time delay during handling and processing. Risk assessment is a structurally and scientifically based approach aimed to protect consumer from risk (hazard) particularly microbiological hazard when consuming certain food. Microbiological risk assessment of fishery products have not been structurally developed in Indonesia, eventhough several initial data on hazard identification have been available. As an attempt to build an integrated risk assessment, a model for microbiological risk of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shrimp will be proposed in this article. The available data could be used as a starting point while other required data could be collected in collaboration with other related institutions.