Re: Chilled Storage of Fresh Fish (tuna)

From: Remi Michalowski (remi.michalowski@cpp.co.id)
Date: Fri Jun 22 2007 - 01:48:29 PDT

  • Next message: Isa Celada: "(no subject)"

    Hi Peter,

    Local Competent authority strictly forbids the use of ice slurry as, from their point of view, it is not allowed by EU FVO.

    During their previous visits, it seems the EU inspectors insisted that no shrimp shall be washed or cooled at a melting ice temperature. So no ice slurry allowed for our CA inspectors.

    The question is what is the ground (technical or legal) for such requirement as, if I am not wrong, the main biohazards to deal with, for shrimps, are the toxin-producing bacteria (V. para in particular) and, additionally, Salmonella and other faecal bacteria. So, in theory, you can work in temperatures below +7oC without being in troubles with growth.

    I can understand that it could be a risk as you have stagnant water but as you validated your PRP "water refreshing", and as you verify regularly your system performances, there is no reason to forbid the use of ice slurry, don't you think?
    Or maybe I missed something in the Hygiene Package?
    It is stated in Regulation EC No 853/2004 that temperature of the fishery products shall approach temperature of the melting ice, but for cooling after cooking, and that storage and transport to the plant be made in temperatures below the temperature of the melting ice.

    Thks for your attention and kind comments.

    Best regards,

    Dipl. Ing. Rémi Michalowski
    Senior Manager QA Food Processing
    PT. Centralpertiwi Bahari - Lampung, Indonesia
    HP + 62 815 4040 484
    Yahoo Messenger ID: michalowski_rmi@yahoo.fr<mailto:michalowski_rmi@yahoo.fr>
    Skype ID: remi_michalowski

    CPB - Integrated Shrimp Farming. "From Pond to Plate"
    A CPP Company. Part of Charoen Pokphand Group

    On Jun 22, 2007, at 3:13 PM, P Howgate wrote:

    Dear Remi

    I am sorry but I do not understand your message. You will have to give me
    more information before I can comment.

    Peter Howgate

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Remi Michalowski" <remi.michalowski@cpp.co.id<mailto:remi.michalowski@cpp.co.id>>
    To: "P Howgate" <phowgate@clara.co.uk<mailto:phowgate@clara.co.uk>>
    Cc: "Chingling Tanco" <crt@mida-group.com<mailto:crt@mida-group.com>>; <seafood@ucdavis.edu<mailto:seafood@ucdavis.edu>>
    Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 2:28 AM
    Subject: Re: Chilled Storage of Fresh Fish (tuna)

    Peter, Chincling,

    Do you have any comment about CA that systematically find non-conformity
    when ice slurry is used at the plant?

    "No melting ice, no melting ice". Meaning no ice slurry in my mind. They say
    it is FVO that does not tolerate such practice.

    However, based on my knowledge, we maintain temperature below +7oC, so in
    the "safe zone". Furthermore, EU does not really state on that point in the
    hygiene package.

    Thks for your comments

    Rgds,

    Dipl. Ing. Rémi Michalowski
    Senior Manager QA Food Processing
    PT. Centralpertiwi Bahari - Lampung, Indonesia
    HP + 62 815 4040 484
    Yahoo Messenger ID:
    michalowski_rmi@yahoo.fr<mailto:michalowski_rmi@yahoo.fr><mailto:michalowski_rmi@yahoo.fr>
    Skype ID: remi_michalowski

    CPB - Integrated Shrimp Farming. "From Pond to Plate"
    A CPP Company. Part of Charoen Pokphand Group

    On Jun 21, 2007, at 10:40 PM, P Howgate wrote:

    Chingling

    As Professor Labuza points out shrimp will cool within a few minutes in ice
    slurry. The time will be a little longer when stowed in flake ice, but the
    difference will not be of any technological significance. The question then
    is the balance of advantages/disadvantages between the two processes. There
    is no doubt in my mind that stowing in flake ice is to be preferred. I
    described in my previous message the disadvantages of bulk and weight and of
    the need to use more ice when using ice slurry and the possibility of
    layering of water and ice, but I must emphasis in the case of shrimp the
    penalty of leaching out flavourous compounds in the case of small products
    such as shrimp. I have carried out experiments on the leaching of amino
    acids, some of which are flavouring compounds themselves or flavour
    potentiators, but can be considered as representative of other flavouring
    chemicals such as nucleotides, and monitored the losses during processing.
    The loss of flavour is more pronounced in the case of headless and is severe
    in the case of peeled. In some cooked/peeled plants I looked at by the time
    the cooked shrimps were held in ice slurry, cooled in ice slurry after
    cooking, washed, and left standing in ice slurry between processing steps
    there was hardly any amino acids and other flavouring chemical remaining and
    the products were tasteless.

    I would recommend that shrimp be iced in flake ice rather than crushed ice
    as the large lumps in the latter can bruise the shells, which promotes
    formation of black spot, and they should be iced in shallow boxes to avoid
    compression damage, which again promotes formation of black spot. Cooling
    and stowage in ice slurry prevents this damage, but I consider that this
    benefit does not compensate for the disadvantages of this technique.

    Peter Howgate

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Chingling Tanco" <crt@mida-group.com<mailto:crt@mida-group.com><mailto:crt@mida-group.com>>
    To: "P Howgate" <phowgate@clara.co.uk<mailto:phowgate@clara.co.uk><mailto:phowgate@clara.co.uk>>; "Dinesh
    Dhammika uduwana"
    <dduduwana@hotmail.com<mailto:dduduwana@hotmail.com><mailto:dduduwana@hotmail.com>>;
    <seafood@ucdavis.edu<mailto:seafood@ucdavis.edu><mailto:seafood@ucdavis.edu>>
    Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 9:00 PM
    Subject: Re: Chilled Storage of Fresh Fish (tuna)

    Hi Peter,

    What about if you were cooling shrimp - say 15-20 grams per piece HO or
    10-20 grams headless. Because of the size of the shrimp, heat diffusion
    within the animal will not be much of an issue so does this make ice
    slurry
    more effective for cooling shrimp? What about storing shrimp overnight?

    Chingling Tanco
    Mida Trade Manila

    On 6/19/07 10:30 PM, "P Howgate"
    <phowgate@clara.co.uk<mailto:phowgate@clara.co.uk><mailto:phowgate@clara.co.uk>> wrote:

    Dinesh

    You need to differentiate between cooling fish in ice slurry and storing
    fish in ice slurry.

    Ice slurry, because it is in complete contact with the surface of the
    fish,
    is a better heat transfer medium than is flake ice and could be the
    preferred procedure for cooling large, warm fish such as tuna. However
    flake
    ice also makes good contact with the surface of the fish plus the melt
    water
    from the ice trickles over the fish making good contact with the fish.
    Also
    there comes a point in the cooling when surface heat transfer is not the
    limiting factor for heat loss compared with heat diffusion within the
    fish.
    Altogether there is not likely to be a big difference in rates of cooling
    between the 2 systems, but you would have to carry out comparative
    experiments to determine the size of the difference in your
    circumstances.
    Ice slurries use more ice to cool a given mass of fish than using flake
    ice
    because the water in the slurry has to be cooled down as well as the fish
    so
    is more costly than using flake. It is important when cooling fish in ice
    slurries that the mixture is stirred or the water phase recirculated.
    When
    the fish is added to the slurry some of the ice is melted and the
    container
    has layer of water and fish with the ice floating on top of it. If the
    fish
    has not cooled down completely this layer of fish and water will
    equilibrate
    at a temperature above 0degC and the ice floating on top will not cool it
    down. This does not happen with fish stowed in ice; assuming there is an
    adequate amount of ice all of the fish will cool down to ice temperature,
    (actually a little below it, around -0.2degC, to be pedantic). Chilled
    Seawater (CSW) systems - a slurry of ice with seawater- are often used on
    pelagic trawlers to cool large catches of pelagic fish, but these systems
    recirculate the water to ensure mixing. CSW is not the same as the
    refrigerated brine storage used on larger tuna boats.

    Though ice slurry is effective in rapidly cooling fish when used properly
    it
    is not a good medium or procedure for storing fish. Fish in ice slurry
    takes
    up more space, and weighs more than the same amount of fish in ice. These
    are considerations for the space required to store the fish and for
    transporting it. Suspension in water alters the appearance of the fish.
    This
    might not be a consideration for tuna destined for canning but is for
    fish
    going to retail sale. Depending how long the fish is stored in the ice
    slurry the product can lose flavour due to leaching into the water, and
    the
    fish can absorb water. This might be favourable for the economics of
    selling
    the product, but not for eating quality.

    The Codex advice, and other texts on storage of fish, that fish should
    iced
    in containers which allow for drainage is good advice and should be
    followed. Fish in ice slurries are typically held in containers with a
    drainage hole; just taking the bung out of the hole will allow for
    drainage.

    Peter Howgate

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Dinesh Dhammika uduwana"
    <dduduwana@hotmail.com<mailto:dduduwana@hotmail.com><mailto:dduduwana@hotmail.com>>
    To: <seafood@ucdavis.edu<mailto:seafood@ucdavis.edu><mailto:seafood@ucdavis.edu>>
    Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2007 12:07 PM
    Subject: Chilled Storage of Fresh Fish (tuna)

    Dear All in Seafood List,

    Looking forward for the expert opinion on what is the best way of
    storage
    of fresh fish either only ice (flake Ice) or in a ice slurry composites
    of flake ice and water.

    code of hygienic practices for the fresh fish (Codex) says the water
    from
    melting ice should be drained to prevents bacteriological and chemical
    contamination!

    so if we stored in a ice slurry how can we facilitate drainage in stored
    in ice slurry!

    expecting expert comments soon.

    thanking you

    Dinesh Dhammika
    Ensis Fisheries Factory

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