Pressure Returns

Asia is considered as one of the world’s largest seafood exporters. According to the UN FAO, China alone is responsible for 35% of global aquatic production, with an annual output of 60 million tons. A number of indicators suggest, however, that the region’s seafood industry is on the cusp of change.

Seafood-loving Japan has for example seen a notable decrease in consumption. According to an official whitepaper, the rate dropped from 36kg per person per year in 1997 to 30kg in 2006, marking the first time the country ate less seafood than meat since record-keeping began in 1949. Concerned about the decline, the Japanese government and trade associations have launched marketing campaigns to encourage consumers to eat more fish.

In China, seafood consumption has however been increasing over the past decade. According to a Glitner Bank report, current estimates put consumption levels at approximately 12kg per person annually. It predicted that this figure will rise to almost 36kg per year by 2020, indicating a growing domestic market for seafood processors.

While catering to growth, seafood processors are often tasked to meet the demands resulting from changing consumer lifestyles, food safety concerns, as well as issues affecting sustainable supplies, rising feed costs and shrinking margins. To keep pace with these changes, they need to look beyond conventional operations and find new ways to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. An established American technology called high pressure processing (HPP) can help seafood processors overcome these key processing obstacles for better growth.

HPP features
HPP is a non-thermal food safety intervention that inactivates bacteria that might remain on a product in a user-ready package. The treatment is administered by a machine that uses water to create ultra-high pressure (up to 6,000 bar or 87,000 pounds per square inch), which kills micro-organisms without compromising food quality, texture, or taste.

This technology has been validated in controlling pathogenic vibrio, coliform bacteria, and viruses in oysters and other shellfish, as well as E.coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella in a wide variety of refrigerated products. Since its first commercial deployment in the 1990s, HPP has played an integral part in the production of raw ground beef and readyto- eat meats; juices and freshly cut fruit; dips and spreads such as hummus, salsas, and guacamole; dressings, soups, and condiments; as well as seafood and shellfish.

HPP has helped seafood producers realize productivity gains and significantly reduce the need for manual labor in the shucking of crustaceans and mollusks. It separates raw lobster and crab meat from the shell, allowing 100% recovery of meat. The natural hydration of the raw protein inherent in the process provides high product yield and improves texture, thereby eliminating the need for undesirable chemical additives such as tripolyphosphates. The technology performs equally well when shucking oysters, mussels, clams, and scallops, while minimizing the physical damage to the meat from shucking knives.

Besides the safety and productivity benefits, HPP is used in the US to double the lifespan of a line of fresh ground beef patties from 21 to 42 days. In Holland, freshly-squeezed juice can now be sold in 21 days, instead of eight, making it suitable for shipping throughout Europe. This technological advancement has thus enabled food manufacturers to develop value-added products that remain fresh in the distribution chain, while satisfying the demands of retailers and consumers.

Value-added products
Many seafood processors today are leveraging on HPP to offer winning products in the market. A seafood processor in California is for example rolling out a new line of refrigerated value-added seafood consisting of four varieties of fresh fish (shrimp, tilapia, salmon, and mahi-mahi) packaged with a sauce. Catering to the consumer demand for healthful, fresh and convenient food, the fish can be sautéed with its sauce and served in less than 10 minutes. When added to rice or pasta, the dish makes a tasty, nutritious, home-cooked meal. Using HPP, the product can be stored for 30 days without affecting the taste and texture of the fish.

Another company in the country has also used HPP to produce shucked, packaged, fresh Maine lobster meat, which received the Named Best Food Service Product and Best Convenience Product at the 2007 European Seafood Exposition in Belgium. The processor later used the technology to create new product varieties such as lobster ceviche, carpaccio and tempura.

Conclusion
While using HPP on existing processes typically requires food science expertise and professional support, the technology offers brand protection in the form of food safety and longer product shelf life for export. It also caters to changing consumer tastes for fresh, natural, convenient food. Given the healthful benefi ts of seafood, this value-added technology will enable manufacturers to capitalize on current trends for better returns.