eng Oriental Scientific Publishing Company Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia 0973-1245 2016-09-25 13 3 1811 1820 10.13005/bbra/2334 15698 article Zohreh Mashak 1 Alireza Khalajzadeh 2 Valiollah Koohdar 1 Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control,Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran. Department of Small Animal Internal Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran. High consumption of cold salted smoked fish beside the low quality of processing of this products caused us to do the present study in order to investigate the bacterial and fungal quality and physicochemical characteristics of cold salted smoked fishes of Caspian Sea, Iran. Two hundred cold salted smoked fish samples were randomly purchased and microbial (total coliforms, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, vibrio spp. and Staphylococcus aureusand molds)and physicochemical analysis were done.Total of coliforms, S. aureus, E. coli, L. monocytogenes and Vibrio spp.and molds in cold salted smoked fishes were 50%, 45%, 2%, 18%, 23% and 93%, respectively. A spergillus fumigatus were the most commonly detected fungi. Frequency of coagulase gene and kanagawa factor in S. aureus and V. parahaemolyticus isolates were considerable. There were no STEC strains in the E. coli isolates. Group 1 was the most commonly detected serotype in L. monocytogenes strains (55.55%).Mean ±standard error of moisture, TVN, pH and salt were45.02±0.90, 79.45±4.75, 6.07±0.02 and 16.93±0.41, respectively.The growth of S.aureus and V. parahaemolyticus in samples with lower pH and moisture contents was significantly low.Accurate hygienic surveillance should perform to improve the chemical and microbial quality of cold salted smoked fish of Iranian markets. https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol13no3/study-the-bacterial-and-fungal-quality-and-physicochemical-properties-of-cold-smoked-salted-fishes-of-caspian-sea-iran/ Clod smoked salted fish; Physicochemical; Microbial; Caspian Sea; Iran