ORIGINAL ARTICLE Microbiological and chemical quality of different types of salted pearl mullet (Chalcalburnus tarichi Pallas, 1811) Seda Ogur 1 | Nuray Erkan 2 1 Department of Food Engineering, Engineering-Architecture Faculty, Bitlis Eren University, Bitlis, Turkey 2 Department of Fisheries and Seafood Processing Technology, Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey Correspondence Seda Ogur, Department of Food Engineering, Engineering-Architecture Faculty, Bitlis Eren University, 13000 Bitlis, Turkey. Email: ogursd@gmail.com Abstract This research aimed to determine microbiological and chemical quality of different types of salted pearl mullet (Chalcalburnus tarichi Pallas, 1811). Samples of salted pearl mullet (C. tarichi Pallas, 1811), produced by six different methods, were obtained from three different local producers at the end of the hunting season of 2016 and 2017 (May–June) with wooden boxes, plastic cans, or in bottom perforated plastic cans. Samples stored in a cold storage (2 ± 2  C) were analyzed in August and September of 2017. Six fish were used in each sampling day and thus the analyses were completed in 18 days. So, 108 fish samples were analyzed (3 producer × 6 method × 3 sample for each method × 2 hunting season). Analysis results were cal- culated as mean ± SD. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine whether there was a significant difference between the sample groups analyzed, and p < .05 was considered significant. All sample groups were found to be appropriate according to total mesophilic aerobic bacteria count, but one sample group (OS11-old sample, gutted and cleaned fish producted in wooden box according to method 1) included Salmonella spp. and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, it was found to be inappropriate (p < .05). The total volatile basic nitrogen acceptability upper limit (25–30 mg/100 g) were found to be exceeded in three sample groups (OS12-old sample, ungutted, and uncleaned fish producted in wooden box according to method 1, OS31-old sample, gutted, and cleaned fish producted in bottom perforated plastic can according to method 3, OS32-old sample, ungutted, and uncleaned fish producted in bottom perforated plastic can according to method 3) (p < .05) and the tiobarbituric acid index value was found to vary between 13.32 ± 0.08 and 31.43 ± 0.04 μg malondialdehyde/g (p < .05). According to histamine results, all sample groups were determined at acceptable values (p > .05). However, it was determined that the salt amount of the sample groups was very high in raw, and that more than half of the salt amount remained in the samples, even after baked waiting for 3 hr in warm water (p < .05). 1 | INTRODUCTION The salting process of fish is one of the oldest methods in preserva- tion of fish, and this process method has still been used in many coun- tries in the world. In the traditional salting method, the fish is treated with table salt or rock salt and ripened. The salting process slows down the incidence of spoilage, which is a sign of the deterioration of fish. The process of salting the fish is briefly covered with the salt of the product in the appropriate container or barrel (placed one coat of fish and one coat of salt); this placement is for penetration of salt to Received: 26 October 2018 Revised: 26 February 2019 Accepted: 6 September 2019 DOI: 10.1111/jfs.12717 J Food Saf. 2019;e12717. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfs © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 of 14 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.12717