JP2006333737A - Method for preserving fish - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for preserving fish having no production/breaking problem caused by anaerobic botulism bacillus during transportation or storage. <P>SOLUTION: This method for preserving fish comprises subjecting fish to freshness retention treatment which suppresses breaking action by bacillus, packaging the fish under atmosphere of oxygen-containing gas in 80%-95% vacuum conditions, and freezing and storing the fish so as to retain freshness for a long period. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fish preservation method, and more particularly to a long-term preservation method for packaging fish with gas.

  Fish itself has a weak tissue ability to resist the generation and invasion of fungi, and if left in an air atmosphere for a long time, it tends to decay due to the generation of fungi and the action of self-digesting enzymes. In addition, when fat on the surface of fish is exposed to the atmosphere for a long time, phenomena such as oxidation and oil burning also occur, causing discoloration in appearance. Therefore, normally, the freshness-keeping process is performed immediately on the captured fish so as to maintain the freshness of the fish during the transportation process and the storage period.

  Conventionally, fish preservation methods include packaging the fish after first keeping it fresh, preserving freshness such as washing, bleeding, peeling, removing internal organs, sterilizing, and processing into fish meat slices. After that, it is rapidly frozen at a temperature of -20 ° C or lower and stored frozen.

  The packaging is usually performed with a packaging bag in a vacuum state close to 100%. In addition, since the fish that have undergone the freshness-keeping treatment are already almost aseptic, if they are packaged in a vacuum state close to 100% and placed under the conditions of frozen storage as described above, they are transported and stored. Sterilization can be maintained throughout the period.

  However, since fish gradually become anoxic after death and hemoglobin in the blood changes in quality and tends to lose its ability to carry oxygen, its appearance, nutritional composition, freshness, etc. are becoming worse. Although the vacuum-packed fish can be kept in a sterilized state for a long time, there is no component such as oxygen or nitrogen in the packaging bag. When the temperature exceeds ℃, anaerobic Clostridium botulinum proliferates, and an anaerobic Clostridium botulinum causes generation and decomposition action, which may rot fish.

  Moreover, when trying to eat or cook the fish processed as described above, the fish must naturally be thawed. However, in order to prevent the hemoglobin and protein contained in the blood from being altered during the thawing process, first, the vacuum packaging is opened, and the fish is kept in the air for a predetermined time to contact oxygen, and the hemoglobin is bound to oxygen. It needs to be restored to its original state and restored to its original appearance and freshness, but at that time, the already aerobic bacteria that have been submerged re-activate and proliferate in a large amount of air supply, deteriorate the taste and texture, and rot. The problem that it may lead to comes out.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for preserving fish that is free from the problems of generation and decomposition caused by anaerobic Clostridium botulinum during transportation and storage.
The present invention also allows the hemoglobin and protein contained in the blood of the fish to return to the state of binding with oxygen without opening the vacuum packaging during thawing, and the original appearance and freshness can be restored. The object is to provide a method for preserving fish.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for preserving fish, which can be performed without activating thawed aerobic bacteria.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention performs a freshness maintaining treatment for suppressing the decomposition action by fungi on fish, and then the fish is subjected to an oxygen-containing gas atmosphere in a vacuum state of 80% to 95%. Provided is a method for preserving fish, which is stored after being packed and frozen.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said packaging is performed with a vacuum bag based on the said method.
After the packaging, it is preferable that the packaged fish is further rapidly frozen to an ultralow temperature range of -60 ° C to -70 ° C.

After the freezing, the frozen fish is preferably stored so as to be kept in a temperature range of −20 ° C. to −60 ° C.
The oxygen-containing gas is preferably made of carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen, or ordinary air.

  As described above, the method for preserving fish according to the present invention wraps fish under an atmosphere of oxygen-containing gas in a vacuum state of 80% to 95%. Even if the temperature exceeds 4 ° C., the fish is not in an oxygen-free atmosphere, so there is no problem of generation / decomposition due to anaerobic Clostridium botulinum.

  In addition, because the fish being packaged is in an atmosphere of oxygen-containing gas, even if the vacuum packaging is not opened during thawing, hemoglobin and protein in the blood of the fish will recombine with oxygen, resulting in the original appearance and freshness. Can be recovered.

  And even though oxygen is present in the packaging atmosphere, its concentration is so small that during thawing it will be bound to hemoglobin and protein binding in fish blood unless the packaging is opened. There is no problem of generation / decomposition due to aerobic bacteria because it is sufficient to provide and cannot activate the already aerobic bacteria.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The above-mentioned and other technical contents, features, and functions related to the present invention can be understood from the following description of preferred embodiments.

  The fish preservation method of the present invention is particularly applicable to fish that can be thinly processed into fish meat slices such as salmon, salmon, amberjack, salmon, salmon, etc. after being peeled. As shown in FIG. 1, the fish preservation method performs a freshness maintaining process (step 1) for suppressing the decomposition action by fungi on the fish, and then the fish is subjected to an oxygen-containing gas in a vacuum state of 80% to 95%. After vacuum packaging (step 2) under the atmosphere of (2), frozen storage, that is, ultra-low temperature rapid freezing (step 3) and low-temperature storage and transportation (step 4).

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the freshness maintaining process (step 1) is performed by first removing the captured fish from water in a low-temperature atmosphere of 4 ° C. or less, washing the fish with water (11), and removing blood. (12) Skin removal (13), visceral removal (14), sterilization (15), and processing into fresh fish slices (16), etc., to maintain a freshness and make it almost sterile.

  Next, in the vacuum packaging (step 2), the fish that has undergone the freshness maintaining treatment (step 1) and turned into fish slices is further subjected to a vacuum of 80% to 95% in a low temperature atmosphere of 4 ° C. or less. Vacuum packaging is performed in an oxygen-containing gas atmosphere. That is, the fish meat slice is put in a sterilized vacuum bag (21), and then the vacuum bag is depressurized so that the vacuum is close to 100% (22). After that, oxygen-containing gas or air that has been sterilized again is placed in the vacuum bag by about 5% to 20%, and after returning to a vacuum state of about 80% to 95%, the vacuum bag is sealed (23). In some cases, the vacuum packaging (step 2) may be performed in a single stage in which the inside of the vacuum bag containing the fish meat slice is directly decompressed to a vacuum state of 80% to 95%.

  Next, ultra-low temperature rapid freezing is performed (step 3). The ultra-low temperature quick freezing (step 3) is a method of rapidly freezing the sealed vacuum packaging bag to an ultra-low temperature of −60 ° C. to −70 ° C., so that few cells or molecules of fungi or viruses remaining in the vacuum packaging bag. The structure is instantaneously destroyed (step 3).

  Since the fish bag thus treated can suppress the generation and growth of fungi in a certain low temperature atmosphere, it is kept in the temperature range of −20 ° C. to −60 ° C. after the ultra-low temperature freezing. It can be stored or transported at a low temperature (step 4).

  Since the fish slices in the fish bag by the fish preservation method are placed in an atmosphere of oxygen-containing gas, of course, in the case of low-temperature storage, even if the temperature is once higher than 4 ° C during transportation and storage, There is no problem of generation and decomposition due to anaerobic Clostridium botulinum. In addition, during thawing immediately before cooking, hemoglobin and protein in the blood of the fish slice can come into contact with oxygen in the vacuum packaging bag and return to the combined state to recover the function of carrying oxygen, so that the vacuum Even if the packaging is not opened, the fish meat can be maintained in its original appearance and freshness. And because the oxygen in the unopened fish bag is small enough to provide for the binding of hemoglobin and protein in the blood of the fish, it is not possible to activate the already calm aerobic bacteria There are no generation / decomposition problems due to bacteria.

  The above description is one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Simple changes and modifications based on the claims and the specification of the present invention are also possible. It belongs to the scope of the present invention.

  Since the fish preservation method of the present invention packages fish in an oxygen-containing gas atmosphere in a vacuum state of 80% to 95%, even if the temperature exceeds 4 ° C. during transportation, storage, and thawing, the fish is anaerobic. Fish that have been peeled, such as salmon, salmon, amberjack, salmon, coral, etc., without the problems of generation and decomposition caused by fungi such as Clostridium botulinum and aerobic bacteria. It can be applied to fish that can be processed into thin slices.

1 is a schematic flowchart of a fish preservation method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a detailed flowchart of a fish preservation method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Freshness preservation process 11 ... Washing with water 12 ... Blood removal 13 ... Peeling 14 ... Internal organ removal 15 ... Sterilization 16 ... Scraping into fish slice 2 ... Vacuum packaging process 21 ... Put in a vacuum packaging bag 22 ... Decompression 23 ... Sealing 3 ... Ultra-low temperature Quick freeze 4 ... Low temperature storage and transportation

Claims (5)

  The fish is treated with a freshness-retaining treatment that suppresses the decomposition action by fungi, and then the fish is packaged under an oxygen-containing gas atmosphere in a vacuum state of 80% to 95%, and then stored frozen. Fish preservation method.   The fish preservation method according to claim 1, wherein the packaging is performed in a vacuum bag.   The method for preserving fish according to claim 2, wherein the freezing after packaging rapidly freezes the packaged fish to an ultra-low temperature range of -60 ° C to -70 ° C.   The method for preserving fish according to claim 3, wherein the storage after freezing is performed by keeping the frozen fish in a temperature range of -20 ° C to -60 ° C.   The said oxygen-containing gas uses what consists of a carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen, The fish preservation | save method as described in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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