Isolation of Lactic Acid Bacteria Eliminating Trimethylamine (TMA) for Application to Fishery Processing

Fishy odor of fish flesh (meat) presents a severe problem for marine production. The main cause of fishy odor is trimethylamine (TMA), which increases during storage. It is produced from trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), an osmosis-regulating substance in fish cells that functions by a reduction reaction. Bacterial growth in fish meat increases TMA. Its odor reduces the commercial value of the meat. Technologies for its regulation and elimination are desired. This chapter presents a description of the use of lactic acid to eliminate TMA. The lactic acid is producible safely by bacteria during food processing using picric acid–toluene. A method of eliminating TMA was demonstrated using Lactobacillus plantarum H78. Furthermore, an assay method was explained for reducing TMA in fish meat by fermenting the H78 strain.