Fishing Preservation Depends on Safe and Effective Additives
One of the many concerns that have arisen due to widespread marine pollution is the need for fishing preservation. The seafood market is vast. Millions of people dine on the fruits of the sea each day while, for some, it is their chief source of protein. It remains to be seen how successful our efforts to clean up the oceans will prove. However, whether cleanup measures are adequate or not, ensuring the quality and condition of seafood must remain the overriding goal of those who catch fish for a living.
Unfortunately, there is no practical way to keep vast numbers of marine creatures alive on board a trawler once caught. However, additives can ensure fishing preservation by inhibiting the natural processes responsible for post-mortem decomposition and food spoilage. Immersion in seawater or packing in ice can prevent spoilage until the catch arrives at the quayside but, once landed, more stringent treatments will be essential.
Before the many rapid transport options now available in most countries, trawler owners relied entirely on the population of seaports to purchase their catch. Today, consumers in towns and cities thousands of kilometres from the nearest port are free to enjoy fresh seafood whenever they wish. Inland populations would be forced to dine on tinned tuna or sardines in tomato sauce without effective fishing preservation technology.
Of course, smoking and drying have long been used to preserve food, including some marine species, such as cod and herring. That said, bacalhau and kippers are not to everyone’s taste. Many consumers prefer to buy their kabeljou fillets and swordfish steaks direct from a fishmonger’s slab or frozen and pre-packed from a local supermarket. The smell, colour, and texture of seafood gradually deteriorate at room temperature without the additives used to ensure fishing preservation. However, it is not only the physical attributes of marine species that are important to the consumer.
Those tasty creatures on which we love to dine play host to vast numbers of bacteria. Unlike their hosts, these microscopic passengers can survive long after they are removed from seawater. Unless dealt with effectively, these bacteria cause food spoilage and might be a potential source of food poisoning. Therefore, it is necessary both to inhibit bacterial growth and prevent any undesirable changes to the texture, colour, and smell of seafood. Fortunately, there are proven fishing preservation techniques to handle each of these contingencies, ensuring customer safety and satisfaction.
Prawns are a favourite of most seafood lovers who often rely on their colour to determine their freshness. In practice, that pink or white flesh can quickly be marred by black spots and streaks without a suitable chemical additive to prevent it. Fading can also be a problem in brightly coloured species, such as red roman. There are additives to prevent this phenomenon also. While such changes usually do not affect their taste, consumers perceive otherwise. Hence fishing preservation methods are often as much about conserving appearances as they are about safety and palatability.
That said, it takes quality additives to ensure quality seafood. Those additives must be both safe and effective. In South Africa and worldwide, one company has served the industry for more than 30 years. Tequisa offers more than one hundred world-class, accredited, and proven fishing preservation products.
