The Evolution and Growing Importance of Seafood Preservation Technology
It would be stretching credibility to suggest that primitive humans employed anything quite as advanced as modern seafood preservation technology. However, there can be no doubt that they did develop simple but effective ways to keep meat and fish palatable and safe to eat on long overland journeys. Coastal dwellers had no such requirement and could light a fire and cook their freshly caught fare soon after they speared it. However, with the move to a nomadic existence and no guarantee of a successful hunt, they needed to make a plan.
Those living in hot desert regions soon learned that a filleted fish or a strip of fresh meat remained edible for months when dried in the hot sun, a small step towards developing modern seafood preservation technology. Those in more temperate climes discovered that smoking or packing in salt was equally effective while the inhabitants of the far frozen north enjoyed the benefit of natural refrigeration. Interestingly, these techniques have survived for thousands of years and are still practised today, albeit with the aid of more sophisticated equipment.
While many individuals still catch fish for sport, the vast majority of marine life on today’s dinner tables is the product of a vast global industry with a market value rapidly approaching 170 billion US dollars. Given that most fish will feed consumers hundreds, if not thousands of kilometres from its source, the need for effective seafood preservation technology has never been greater.
While a small portion of a trawler’s catch is purchased and consumed in its homeport, the bulk will be destined for processing plants. There it is prepared for distribution to wholesalers and supermarkets. Whether headed for a fishmonger’s slab or a supermarket freezer, scaly fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and shellfish will all need to remain in peak condition for prolonged periods. While freezing helps to maintain that condition, this would be ineffective without the various preliminary treatments that are the basis of modern seafood preservation technology.
The aims of such treatments are threefold. Firstly, it is essential to eliminate bacteria that could cause spoilage or threaten the health of consumers. Formalin and chlorine are often used to sterilise fish but have been banned for such purposes in many countries as there are safer, equally effective, and natural alternatives. Secondly, preserving physical properties, such as smell, colour, and texture is vital. Rightly or wrongly, most consumers rely on these features to assess freshness. Extending the shelf life of processed fish products is the third and equally essential aim of seafood preservation technology in the twenty-first century.
In practice, while salting and freezing remain valuable preliminary treatments, maintaining the colour, taste, texture, and safety of fish would not be possible without suitable chemical additives. However, the EU, FDA, WHO, and similar organisations impose strict regulations governing the permitted composition of these products to prevent abuse by producers and ensure consumer safety.
Over the past three decades, one company has become a world leader in developing safe and effective seafood preservation technology. Tequisa was established in Spain in 1983. Having generated more than 100 products for the food industry, we are a supplier of choice to the fishing industry in Southern Africa and worldwide.
