Re: Seafood preservation and salting

From: Howgate (phowgate@rsc.co.uk)
Date: Thu Jun 14 2001 - 15:00:14 PDT

  • Next message: jayadev prasad: "RE: Seafood preservation and salting"

    Ronnie

    My comments on your questions.

    '1. Is copper sulphate allowed as a preservative in seafood?'

    Not in the EU at least. I would be surprised if it is a permitted food
    additive anywhere. Copper is an essential micronutrient, but at greater
    levels it is chronically toxic. I can not perceive of its use as a
    preservative. What is the background to this query? Have you got the correct
    story?

    '2. Can the salting of fish be a control measure for histamine?'

    In what sort of product? I think you need to rephrase this question. Do you
    mean: Is histamine a hazard in production of salted fish?. I would expect
    the answer to this question to be: Yes, in those species, for example
    scombroids, which have the potential to become scombrotoxic. Without
    analysing a specific process, I can imagine 2 possible critical control
    points: raw material reception, and the salting stage. In the first, if the
    raw material has spoiled at high temperature, the fish is probably
    scombrotoxic and I would not expect subsequent salting to affect this state.
    If fish is salted at high temperature and salting is not carried out
    properly so that salt does not strike through the tissues rapidly and
    inhibit growth of histamine producing bacteria, the product might be
    scombrotoxic.

    Peter Howgate
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: MARINE FISHERIES <mfrdlibr@pacific.net.sg>
    To: Seafood group <seafood@ucdavis.edu>
    Cc: <YEAP_soon_eong@ava.gov.sg>
    Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2001 4:59 AM
    Subject: Seafood preservation and salting

    > Hi Listserv members,
    >
    > I have two questions which I hope you can help me with:
    >
    > 1. Is copper sulphate allowed as a preservative in seafood?
    >
    > 2. Can the salting of fish be a control measure for histamine?
    >
    > Regards
    > Ronnie
    > Marine Fisheries Research Department, Singapore
    >
    >
    >



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