This study was set to determine the antimicrobial activities of brine salting, chlorinated solution, and oil frying treatments on enteric bacteria and fungi in fish from fish landing beaches within L. Victoria basin of western Kenya. Statistical differences in effectiveness of the different treatment methods was determined by single factor ANOVA, and paired two!tail t!Test was performed to compare the differences in moisture contents before and after storage. Oil fried fish recorded the lowest microbial loads, sodium chloride at 10% concentration was the second most effective and chlorinated solution even at 150ppm was the least effective against the bacteria and fungi in fish. Moisture contents of the control and treated fish were significantly lower after storage. These results show that oil frying of fish should be adopted for processing and preserving which is the most abundant and affordable fish species from Lake Victoria. Fish landing beaches, Lake Victoria, oil frying, preservatives. I. INTRODUCTION RESH fish is highly perishable, especially in tropical temperatures and need to be preserved for long term storage. Due to perishable nature of fish, traditional methods of preservation have been developed over the years which include salting, drying and smoking [1]. Salting which is cheap and easily available has been used in many areas of the world for years to preserve fish and fishery products [2]![3]! [4]![1]. The preservative effect of salting is mainly due to the decrease in water activity and thus prevention of growth of many spoilage microorganisms along with the formation of a more membranous surface which further inhibits the growth of microorganisms [5]![6]. Moreover, chloride ions are toxic to some microorganisms [7]. A.V.O. Ofulla is with Maseno University, Department of Biomedical Science and Technology Box 333!40105, Maseno, Kenya. (Tel. +254 57 31620 Ext. 3150; fax: 254!057!351153; e!mail: ofullavo@gmail.com). J. H. O. Onyuka is with Maseno University, Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, Box 333!40105 Maseno, Kenya. (Tel. +254 57 31620 Ext. 3150; fax: 254!057!351153; e!mail: lonyukas@yahoo.com). S. Wagai is with Maseno University, Department of Botany and Horticulture, Box 333!40105, Maseno, Kenya. (Tel. +254!573!1620; fax: 254!057!351153; e!mail: samuelwagai@yahoo.com). D. Anyona is with Maseno University, Department of Environmental and Earth Science, Box 333!40105 Maseno, Kenya. (Tel. +254 57 31620 Ext. 3150; fax: 254!057!351153; e!mail: nyambs06@yahoom.com O. Gabriel Dida is with Maseno University, Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, Box 333!40105 Maseno, Kenya. (Tel. +254 57 31620 Ext. 3150; fax: 254!057!351153; e!mail: gdidah@gmail.com J. Gichuki is with Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Kenya, Box 1881, Kisumu, Kenya. (Tel. +254!057!530045/2021461; e!mail: gichukij@yahoo.com). Salting has no adverse effects on the value of the fish protein and bacterial growth can be significantly retarded by the presence of sufficient quantities of common salt (sodium chloride). At salt concentrations of 10% in the fish, the activity of most bacteria that cause spoilage is inhibited [8]! [9]. When fish is placed in a brine solution, the salt penetrates the fish and water is extracted from the tissues by osmosis. Since fresh fish contains 70!80% water, the amount of brine used must be adjusted accordingly, the higher the salt contents in the fish, the longer the shelf life [10]. Traditional methods involve rubbing salt on the flesh of the fish or making alternate layers on fish which causes the problem of un! uniform application of salt. Brining takes care of this problem, which involves immersing the fish into pre!prepared solution of salt; the advantage is that salt concentration can be more easily controlled and salt penetration is more uniform [6]. Chlorinated solutions can be used as a method of sanitizing or eliminating bacteria and moulds from fish and sanitizing agents such as sodium hypochlorite have generally been proven effective in reducing overall microbial populations as well as numbers of specific bacterial pathogens on fish and other food products [11]![12]. Chlorinated solutions have been used for sanitizing fish products especially during processing [13]. The inhibitory or lethal activity of chlorine depends on the amount of free available chlorine in the solution in the form of hypochlorous acid present in bleach and chlorine solutions that comes in contact with microbial cells. Free chlorine disinfects by chemically disrupting bacterial cell walls and membranes through oxidation of a chemical group known as the thiol group [14].In the Lake Victoria basin, and other tropical countries, oil frying is commonly used for processing and preserving Nile tilapia ( ) [15] but not Dagaa ( ), which is instead commonly processed by sun!drying on sometimes contaminated ground [16], which does not protect the fish from flies, chicken and dogs, and this increases the chance of microbial contamination of fish. Given that the fish is laid on the ground, water accumulates around it instead of drying away, and the resultant inadequate drying also makes it susceptible to microbial contamination, and post harvest losses [16]. Our recent studies have also shown that water and fish from Lake Victoria are contaminated with enteric bacteria [17] which call for processing and preservation methods which can reduce or eliminate microbial contamination of fish for long term storage or shelving in commercial outlets and safety for human consumption. Ayub V. O. Ofulla, Jackson H. O. Onyuka, Samuel Wagai, Douglas Anyona, Gabriel O. Dida and John Gichuki Comparison of Different Techniques for Processing and Preserving fish from Lake Victoria, Kenya F World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 60 2011 1643