This part of ISO 6887 specifies rules for the preparation of fish and fishery product samples and their suspension for microbiological examination when the samples require a different preparation from the method described in ISO 6887-1. ISO 6887-1 defines the general rules for the preparation of the initial suspension and decimal dilutions for microbiological examination.

This part of ISO 6887 only describes methods of preparation that are applicable to several microorganisms simultaneously. It excludes the preparations that only apply to the detection and/or enumeration of a single microorganism where the methods of preparation are described in the relevant standard concerning that microorganism, for example Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

This part of ISO 6887 is applicable to the following raw, processed, cooked or frozen fish and shellfish and their products:

a) RAW fish, crustaceans, molluscs and others, including

— fish, whole or fillets, with or without skin and heads, and gutted,

— fish, salted, dried smoked or pickled,

— cephalopods, whole or sliced,

— crustaceans, whole, including prawns, crayfish, lobsters, crabs and Norway lobsters,

— live gastropods, bivalves, echinoderms and tunicates, and

— snails;

b) PROCESSED fish, crustaceans, molluscs and others, including

— dried, smoked, marinated, salted, pickled and breaded fish or shellfish,

— fish, whole or prepared fillets, with or without skin,

— surimi and delicatessen fish products,

— whole or shelled crustaceans and molluscs, and crustacean and mollusc flesh,

— cooked fish, crustaceans, molluscs, holothurians, tunicates, shellfish and snail-based dishes;

c) FROZEN fish, crustaceans, molluscs and others, in blocks or otherwise, including

— fish, fish fillets and pieces,

— whole and shelled prawns,

— flaked crab,

— cephalopods, and

— shelled cooked shellfish and shelled snails.

NOTE 1 Milk and milk products are dealt with in ISO 8261.

NOTE 2 The purpose of the analysis performed on these test samples may be either hygiene testing or quality control. However, the sampling techniques described in this part of ISO 6887 relate mainly to hygiene testing (on muscle tissues).