POTENTIAL HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSUMPTION OF FOOD DERIVED FROM RAW FISH

Abstract

Eating undercooked fish or raw shellfish brings a potential risk to the public health due to a large array of parasites that can be found in these foods. Some factor as the increasing popularity of sushi and sashimi consumption, allied to the increase of the international trade, has favored greater incidence of these parasites in the North America and the Europe. In Brazil, the illnesses, which were not usually detected, have been introduced throughout importation of not native fish species to the national pisciculture, as in the case of Hungarian Carp (Ciprinus carpio). While many infections are endemic and tend to cause symptoms of moderate abdominal pain, some cases of fatality have been related. These infections can be prevented by the adequate housekeeping of the food with appropriate cooking for proper time and temperature. The related chemical hazards to the raw fish are controlled by management of fishing areas and supervision of time and temperature of storage. Good manufacturing practices are indicated to the control of physical hazards.