Enterobacter aerogenes was studied for its growth, and promoting the formation of total volatile base
nitrogen (TVBN) and histamine in tuna dumpling stuffing stored at various temperatures from 20 C
to 37 C. The bacterial number rapidly increased in low (2.0 log CFU/g) or high (5.0 log CFU/g) inoculated
concentrations at temperature above 15 C and reached the highest bacterial count at 37 C. In addition,
the low spiked sample stored at 37 C for 12 h and the high spiked sample stored at 25 and 37 C for 12 h,
formed histamine at above 50 mg/100 g of the potential hazard level in most illness cases. However, bacterial
growth was controlled by cold storage of the samples at 4 C or below, but histamine formation was
stopped only by frozen storage. Once the frozen stuffing samples were thawed and stored at 25 C, histamine
started to accumulate rapidly.