Environmental and Anthropogenic Influences on Coliform Concentrations in the Octopus insularis Production Chain in the Veracruz Reef System, Gulf of Mexico

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The contamination of coastal waters, unhealthy conditions and inadequate handling practices tend to reduce the sanitary quality of fishery products, thus impacting its marketing. With this in mind, we investigate the microbiological quality of the Octopus insularis in each stage of the production chain, comprehending capture, post-capture, processing and commercialization, in terms of the presence of total and fecal coliforms at the Veracruz Reef System, Gulf of Mexico. The environmental and anthropogenic influence on the space–temporal concentration of coliforms were analyzed in sea water, fresh octopus, fresh water, ice and octopus, both packed in ice and boiled. Most relevant results indicated that coliforms are present in the octopus production chain, being highest in the marketing stage. The coliform concentration increased during the rainy season and was highest in the reefs closer to the coast, which has a major anthropogenic influence. These results point out the urgent need to implement an efficient cold chain with adequate handling practices to try to reverse these microbiological conditions and improve the octopus quality and food safety. ABSTRACT: Coliforms are relatively common in aquatic environments, but their concentrations can be increased by environmental changes and anthropogenic activities, thus impacting fisheries resources. To determine the microbiological quality in the octopus production chain (capture, post-capture, processing and commercialization), total (TC) and fecal (FC) coliforms were quantified in sea water, fresh octopus, fresh water, ice and octopus in two presentations: packed in ice and boiled. Samples came from fishing zones Enmedio, Chopa and La Gallega at the Veracruz Reef System (VRS) during dry, rainy and windy seasons. The coliforms were determined using the most probable number technique (MPN). The most relevant results indicated that octopus packed in ice coming from the commercialization stage had FC levels >540 MPN/100 g, which exceeded the permissible limits (230 MPN/100 g). Therefore, these products present a risk for human consumption. Differences in FC were observed in octopuses between the three fishing zones (H = 8.697; p = 0.0129) and among the three climatic seasons, increasing during the rainy season, highlighting La Gallega with 203.33 ± 63 MPN (H = 7.200; p = 0.0273). The results provide evidence of the environmental and anthropogenic influences on coliform concentrations and the urgent need to implement an efficient cold chain throughout octopus production stages with adequate handling practices to reverse this situation.