Hello Again George,
Just realized that I didn't really answer your question, just described a
process.
I would not go directly into a box with your fish. At ambient temp of 48 F
or more they will simply melt themselves a nice little
cozy igloo, where it will take endless hours for the core of the fish to
equilibrate to 32 F. Meanwhile, guts and gills will grow a
bacterial stew that will ruin your expected shelf life and texture will
soften. Slush ice or at least layer icing in totes prior to final packing is
imperative.
Have you considered styro boxes instead of waxed? All depends on what your
needs are but we found that the cost was equivalent.
Neither is recyclable (technically waxed corrugated is, but not with fish
juice in it). Waxed is much stronger and will handle abuse better but weighs
a lot more, so therefore freight cost is higher. Wax requires extra labor to
staple and of course extra equipment cost and maintenance (the staplers).Not
to mention the carpal tunnel your workers may get. Styros are premade so
take up a lot of space. If the styro delivery trailer can be dropped at your
location, that would be the ideal. Not my intention to advocate one type
over the other, as each has its pros and cons. What is important is how each
fits into your unique operation. We have successfully used both.
I hope you have a flake ice or slurry ice machine as other types will cause
indentation damage to fish flesh during storage.
Don't be afraid to leave finished cases in a freezer (0 F) overnight as
either is enough insulation to prevent product freeze but
it does set the ice up nicely, which increases box durability during transit
and also increases safe travel time.
Regards
Jon McGraw
Seafreeze
We are nearing our first harvest of tilapia from a recirculating
> aquaculture system and have questions about best procedures for
> harvesting and packing the fish. The plan is to pack fish whole on ice
> in 50 lb waxed boxes. Should fish first be chilled in a cold water
> bath to remove heat, should they go directly on ice or is there
> another process that should be followed?
>
> Any advice on recommended procedures would be appreciated.
>
> George E. Saridakis
> Seaburst Aquaculture Systems
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Apr 07 2005 - 14:25:18 PDT