As humans have progressed to becoming an organised society dependent upon innumerable advanced technologies, the food they choose to consume has been changing in parallel. From raw meat, fish, and berries via the accidentally burnt pig often said to be the origin of cooked meat, to the pre-cooked foods found in supermarkets today, our eating habits have been transformed beyond recognition. Where salt, pepper, and vinegar may have once been the only seafood additives in use, this too has changed. Today, when the bulk of our food has undergone some form of pre-processing, the introduction of substances into marine and other food products as a means to preserve their colour, enhance their flavour, or enrich their nutritional qualities has become an essential feature of the processed-food industry.
Of the various foods we consume, it tends to be seafood products that rely most on additives to maintain the qualities that have made them a favourite in so many homes today. While their taste is obviously important, we also tend to look for visual appeal in our food. For example, regardless of how delicious a meal of prawns might actually be, we would be less inclined to sample them if they were covered in black patches rather than the characteristic pink-and-white colouring with which we are all familiar.
To avoid such situations, the producers of seafood products use special additives to prevent this darkening effect. The phenomenon is known as black spot or melanosis and it is due to the oxidation of certain amino acids by sunlight. Even though this should not materially affect their taste, most consumers find this discolouration distasteful and would be most unlikely to buy, let alone eat, prawns that display this appearance. Of greater concern than its colour, of course, is its freshness. Fish and other marine species tend to attract a surface coating of parasites and bacteria and, although the hosts are largely unaffected by them, they can pose a health hazard to consumers unless dealt with effectively. To protect the consumer from the potential threat of food poisoning, there are some highly effective seafood additives in use.
Not all bacteria are necessarily harmful to the consumer, however. In practice, most of the natural flora present simply tend to spoil the taste and the appearance of fish products. Maintained by metabolites in fish tissues, some species even thrive under refrigeration. Known as specific spoilage organisms or SSOs, these bacteria produce the ammonia, amines, and sulphur compounds responsible for the unpleasant smells associated with spoilage. Without the protective action of suitable seafood additives, many of the fish-based products we take for granted could not have been produced.
There are, of course, strict regulations concerning the nature of permissible adjuvants. This means it is imperative for processing plants to source them with care. With more than three decades of experience in the industry, the Spanish company Tequisa is widely recognised as a world leader in the development of safe and effective seafood additives. The company was established in South Africa during 1995 and serves fisheries from Luanda to Mossel Bay in the west and from Port Elizabeth to Pemba in the east.