Value Added Fishery Products

Dr. Subhendu Datta Sr. Scientist CIFE, Kolkata Centre

Introduction

Fish is a very perishable food commodity that requires proper handling and preservation to increase its shelf life and retain its quality and nutritional attributes. Processing fish involves primarily the application of preservation techniques in order to retain quality and increase shelf life. It may also deal with value-adding to produce a wide variety of products. A number of methods are used to preserve fish. Some employ techniques based on temperature control, using ice, refrigeration or freezing; others on the control of water activity and include drying, salting, smoking and freeze-drying. Techniques may rely on the physical control of microbial fish loads, such as through microwave heating or ionizing irradiation, or on chemical control of microbial activity and loads by adding acids, for example, to fish products. Techniques are also used that are based on oxgen-reduction, such as vacuum packaging. Most often a combination of different techniques is used to preserve fish.

What is value addition?

Value addition is defined as any activity along the supply chain that increases the usability, culinary attribute or economic viability of a food item. Processing of fish into a wide variety of value-added products is now common with the increase in demand for food products that are ready-toeat or require little preparation before serving.

Usually, value-added fish products are perceived to be those that have added ingredients such as a coating (breaded/battered) or a sauce, are prepared neatly or in some way provide more convenience to the user.
Actually it indicates a measure of factors added to the total worth of a product at each stage of the production. Value addition ties in with consumer convenience. For example, value addition can be a process for transforming fish fillets into products that are perceived by the customer as having added quality and interest.

Why value addition?

The four major reasons for value addition are: (i) for higher profit, (ii) for improved processing utilization, (iii) to keep pace with consumers needs and (iv) to provide variety of products. There are numerous varieties of fish and they differ widely from one another depending on the shape, size, flavours, texture etc. Though flesh of all types of fish are nutritionally more or less similar, their market prices vary hugely. There are certain varieties fish which are very expensive, while there other varieties which are very cheap. The low-cost fish in whole form have poor/no preference among the consumers as food due to some of the factors like small/unconventional size, ugly shape, too much spiny body, unfriendly flavour/taste etc.

Factors responsible in Value-addition

Therefore, these low-cost fish are often used for animal feed or byproduct production. Even in some cases, these fish are thrown back into the sea. However, with the application of available technologies, these fish can be directly used for human consumption through value-addition, There are several factors responsible for value addition. On one hand, producers and exporters aim at satisfying the increasing demand for value-added products from consumers. At the same time, Indian Government wish that value addition takes place in own country rather that in the importing country as it is to benefit job creation and higher economic activity. International trade in fish and fishery products has grown substantially over the last decades. Today, good percent of the fish caught for direct human consumption enters international trade.

Developing countries account for approximately 50 percent of global fish exports (FAO, 2005).
However, many countries, especially developing countries like India, export mainly raw products and only limited quantities of processed products. The former are in turn processed in industrialized countries. By so doing, the exporting countries are not extracting full benefits from their aquatic resources.

Consequently, more and more development experts and institutions are advocating the transfer of value addition technologies, know-how and investment capital to these developing countries.
This is also attractive in view of the fact that value addition processes generate further employment and foreign exchange earnings. However, despite the availability of technology, many projects in valueadding for export collapsed.

Careful consideration was not given to the various facets of their feasibility, including quality assurance, marketing, distribution and trade barriers, before embarking on a value-adding fish process.
In developed countries, value-added innovation is mainly focused on increased convenience foods and a wider variety of high value-added products, mainly in fresh, frozen, breaded, smoked or canned form. These necessitate sophisticated production equipment and methods and, hence, access to capital. The resulting fish products are commercialized as ready and/or portion-controlled, uniform-quality meals.

Potentiality of value-added fishery

The market for value added fish and shrimp is growing in the greater space. Rise in purchasing power of the people, fast life-style, growing of nuclear families, more house-wives opting for job etc. are the main factors responsible for increase in demand for these products in India. Especially in urban localities, the rich class and upper middle class prefer value added products in their food menu. Therefore opportunity exists for:

Ready to cook retail pack of fish and shrimp of different types. Canned Tuna for hotel chains, expatriates, tourists, rich and upper middle class of cities.

White fish in the form of frozen fillet, dressed fish. Mince and mince-based products like fish sausage, burger, finger, cutlet, nugget, ball etc.

Salted and dehydrated fishes in retail packs.

List of Popular Value Added Fishery Products:

Sl. No. Product type Description 1. Fish mince (Surimi) based products In the case of surimi based products - the Fish Cake content of surimi shall be not less than Fish Burger 60% or the minimum specified by the Fish Finger buyer whichever is higher. Fish Ball Fish Roll The net weight of the product in the Fish Samosa primary container shall not exceed 2kg. Fish Cutlet Fish Paste Fish Spread Fish Sausage Fish Noodles/ Fish Crisp/ Crackers Fish Tubes/Macaroni Imitation Fish Products

S.L.

Product type Breaded and battered products (including fried)

Shrimp breaded and battered Breaded fish fingers Breaded crab cakes Squid breaded and battered Octopus breaded Clams breaded

Description

2.

The content of seafood (fish, shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, clams etc.) in the product shall be a minimum of 40% by weight or the minimum specified by the buyer whichever is higher. The net weight of the primary pack shall not exceed 2 kg.

Sl. Product type No.

3. Pickle, curry, meal kit etc. Shrimp prepared products Shrimp pickle Shrimp curry Fish pickle Fish curry Squid prepared products Mussel/clam meat pickle

Description

In the case of pickle, curry, meal kit etc., (Rice, Chapatti, Porottaor Nan based), Sandwich, burger, pasta, soup, chutney, fish powder (edible) stuffed products, skewers, products in medium/filler such as oils sauce etc.) where seafood is an ingredient, and in the case of products in which seafood is mixed with vegetable or and meat in any form namely frozen retort pouch/canned, bottled/pouched pasteurized, etc. Seafood content shall not be less than 10% of the net weight or the minimum specified by the buyer whichever is higher. The net weight in the primary pack shall not exceed 2 kg.

Sl. No. 4.

Product type
Freeze dried products Accelerated Freeze Dried (AFD) shrimp, AFD shrimp powder AFD squid AFD Octopus

Description In the case of Freeze dried products where seafood is mixed with vegetables, meat, noodles etc, the content of seafood shall be a minimum of 10% of the net weight or the percentage indicated by the buyer whichever is higher.

The net weight of freeze dried products in the primary pack whether it is exclusively seafood or mixed with vegetables, meat, noodles etc. shall be a maximum of 5 kg.

Sl. No. 5.

Product type

Description

Shrimp IQF (individually quick frozen) products and Tray/pouch packs Shrimp IQF raw Shrimp IQF blanched/cooked Shrimp in tray/pouch packs Shrimp IQF head-on Shrimp Butterfly- Top Cut Shrimp Butterfly-Bottom Cut Shrimp Butterfly-Sushi Stretched Shrimp (Nobashi in Japani) Breaded (Nobashi) Shrimp Shrimp Spread/Paste Shrimp Single Kebab/Skewer Shrimp IQF, HL, HO, blanched/cooked shall be of net weight not exceeding 2kg in primary pack (tray or pouch)

Sl. No. 6.

Product type

Description

Squid IQF and its products and IQF squid whole cleaned shall be of Tray/pouch packs Sashimi grade. IQF squid tube/ rings, IQF blanched/cooked squid Squid IQF raw tube & rings etc., net weight shall Squid IQF blanched cooked not exceed 2 kg in the primary Squid tube / rings container for all these products. (Tray or pouch) Octopus IQF / IF and its products Octopus IQF raw / whole cleaned IQF / IF Octopus blanched / cooked Octopus / baby octopus - IQF raw / whole cleaned shall be of Sashimi grade, IQF / IF Octopus blanched, for all these products net weight of primary pack shall not exceed 2kg.

7.

Sl. No. 8.

Product type

Description

Frozen Fish fillets/loins/steaks, Net weight shall not exceed 2kg. chunks, portions etc. in tray/ vacuum pack or in tray/pouches (except tuna)

9.

Lobster whole cooked/half cut IQF/ Net weight limited to 2kg in packed in tray/pouches primary container.
Stuffed crab, Raw crabmeat/soft Net weight limited to 2 kg net in shell crab primary container. Stuffed Crab Stuffed Crab Claws

10.

Preparation Procedures for few value-added products

Fish Cutlet

The basic raw material required for preparation of fish cutlet is cooked fish or `fish 'kheema' (fish meat picked from whole fish by means of a meat picking machine).

Ingredients
Cooked fish meat : 1000g Salt : 25g (approx - to taste) OIl : 125 ml Green chilli : 15 g Ginger : 25g Onion : 250 g Potato (cooked) : 500 g Pepper (powder) : 3 g ( to taste)

Clove (powered) : 3 g
Cinnamon (powered) : 2g (to taste) Turmeric : 2 g Eggs : 4 Nos Bread powder: 200 g

Method of preparation

Cook fish mince in boiling water for 20 min. Drain off the water (In case of whole fish, dress the fish and cook for 30 min. and drain ) Remove skin, scales and bones and separate the meat Add salt and turmeric to the cooked meat and mix well Fry chopped onions in oil till brown. Fry chilli and ginger. Mix these with the cooked meat Add mashed potato and spices and mix well with the meat.

Shape 40 g each of this in oval or round form, dip in beaten eggs, roll in bread powder store in deep freezer.
Thaw and fry in oil before use.

Prawn Pickle
The ingredients for prawn pickle are: Prawn (peeled): 1 kg Green chilli (small pieces): 50 g Ginger (small pieces): 150 g Garlic: 200 g Chilli powder: 35 g Turmeric powder: 2 g Gingelly oil: 200 ml Vinegar (1.5% acetic acid) (boiled and cooled): 300 ml Salt (approx. 60 g): to taste Sugar: 5 g

Method of preparation

Mix the peeled prawns with salt (3% on the basis of weight of prawns) and dry under sun for 1-2 hours. Fry the prawn in minimum quantity of oil and set apart. Fry garlic, ginger and green chilli in remaining quantity of oil. When brown in colour, add chilli powder and turmeric powder and mix together over a low flame. Remove from flame, add the prawns and mix thoroughly. Allow to cool and add vinegar, sugar and remaining salt. If necessary, add 1 % acetic acid to make up the consistency. Fill in clean, dry bottles taking care to provide a layer of oil at the top covering the contents. Flexible pouches made of 12 polyester laminated with 118 LD-HD co-extruded film can also be used for packing the pickle.

Fish Finger