Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
  • A23L17/00—Food-from-the-sea products; Fish products; Fish meal; Fish-egg substitutes; Preparation or treatment thereof
  • A23L17/70—Comminuted, e.g. emulsified, fish products; Processed products therefrom such as pastes, reformed or compressed products

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a process for producing a deboned, water washed, fish material, usually called Surimi.
• cryoprotectants for improved frozen shelf life.
• Surimi is used as an intermediate product for a variety of fabricated seafoods, such as flakes and crab legs.
• the aim of washing with water is not only to remove fat and undesirable matter, such as blood, pigments and odorous substances, but, more importantly to increase the concentration of myofibrillar protein (actomyosin) thereby improving gel strength and elasticity, essential properties for Surimi-based products.
• myofibrillar protein actomyosin
• Surimi has a great potential as a functional protein ingredient which can be substituted for a variety of traditional animal and vegetable proteins.
• the virtually unlimited resources of underutilized fish species will ensure a sufficient production of Surimi at a reasonable cost to meet the need for base material for Surimi-based products.
• Surimi has been produced for several hundred years. Traditionally, Surimi was freshly prepared from fresh fish and immediately processed into a variety of products.
• Surimi is produced by repeatedly washing separated fish meat with chilled water (5-10°C) until it becomes odorless and colorless - that is to say, until most of the watersoluble protein is removed.
• the temperature of the wash water is determined by the species of fish utilized. Warm water fish can tolerate a higher water temperature than cold water fish without a reduction in protein functionality.
• Surimi was made in a manual batch process, with at least three washing steps. Later, a commercial continuous process was developed. See Fig. 1. The fish is headed, gutted and minced to a particle size of about 3-4 mm.
• the minced fish is mixed with the appropriate amount of water in a ratio tank, and the mixture is pumped to a washer, that is to say, a tank with an agitator, and is then pumped to a rotating screen rinser, which comprises a cylindrical mantle having holes of about 1 mm diameter. Water is sprayed from the outside, and a flow of washed fish meat comes out of the rinser. Water which passes through the holes of the screen is discharged as waste. Usually there are three sets of washing tanks and rinsers. The washed fish meat, with a dry solids (D.S.) content of about 10-18 %, is then refined in a strainer having holes of about 1/2-1 1/2 mm, diameter in a cylindrical mantle.
• a washer that is to say, a tank with an agitator
• a rotating screen rinser which comprises a cylindrical mantle having holes of about 1 mm diameter. Water is sprayed from the outside, and a flow of washed fish meat comes out of the rinser. Water which passes
• Horizontal shaft rotating blades drive the incoming fish meat toward the mantle, and pieces larger than the holes form a reject fraction, whilst the refined fish meat passes through the holes and is then dewatered in a screw press to a D.S. content of about 20-27 %.
• This dewatered cake is then blended with the cryoprotectant additive, 4 % sugar, 4 % sorbitol and 0.2 % polyphosphates and is then frozen and packed as Surimi product.
• the minced fish material is mixed using in-line mixer means, e.g. a static mixer or a pump, and is washed by using a centrifugal decanter, e.g. a centrifugal clarifier having a horizontal axis.
• the process according to the invention increases the yield of Surimi by up to 50 %, requires the use of 25-50 % less washing water, requires a shorter amount of time (about 1.5 minutes as compared to 15 minutes for the conventional process), requires less staff and less space to perform, requires fewer components and results in a higher quality product, having higher gel-strength, lower water content and appearing whiter in color than product produced by the conventional process.
• the present invention relates to a process for producing a deboned, water washed fish meat material, more commonly called Surimi, in which the raw fish material is headed, gutted and minced to a particle size of about 3-4 mm.
• the minced material is washed with chilled water until it becomes odorless and colorless, and the washed material is then dewatered to a fish meat having a D.S. content of about 18-22 %, which could then be blended with additives such as sugar, sorbitol and polyphosphates, frozen and packed.
• Fig. 1 illustrates a conventional process of making Surimi (such as that described in the above-cited article from Food Technology).
• Fig. 2 depicts a process according to the invention wherein minced fish is mixed with water and washed in in-line mixer means and separated in a centrifugal decanter into a first fraction of fish meat which is strained and further dewatered in a screw press.
• Fig. 3 depicts another process according to the invention wherein minced fish is mixed with water and washed in in-line mixer means and separated in a centrifugal decanter into a first fraction of fish meat having a high dry solids content of 22-27 % which is then strained.
• Fig. 4 depicts another process according to the invention wherein minced fish is strained to remove bits of bone, tendon, skin and other impurities, mixed with water and washed in in-line mixer means and thereafter separated in a centrifugal decanter into a first fraction of fish meat which is further dewatered in a screw press.
• Fig. 5 depicts another process according to the invention wherein minced fish is strained, mixed with water and washed in in line mixer means and separated in a centrifugal decanter into a first fraction of fish meat having a high dry solids content of 20-27 %, to which fraction is added cryoprotectants and other additives.
• the improvement over the conventional process lies firstly in the washing of the minced fish material, which is carried out by mixing a flow of minced material with washing water in efficient in-line mixer means, such as a static mixer (e.g., a pipe provided with internal baffles to create turbulence) or a pump, and secondly in the dewatering of the mixture so obtained in a centrifugal decanter with horizontal axis, to separate the mixture into a first fraction of fish meat and into a second fraction of waste water, containing impurities and protein losses which can be recovered if desired.
• a static mixer e.g., a pipe provided with internal baffles to create turbulence
• a pump e.g., a pipe provided with internal baffles to create turbulence
• the second fraction of waste water can be further separated in a high speed centrifugal clarifier into a third fraction of recovered protein material and a fourth fraction of waste water.
• the third fraction of recovered protein material can be blended with the first fraction of fish meat or can be handled in an independent process line to yield a deboned, water washed fish meat material.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Marine Sciences & Fisheries (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Nutrition Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Fish Paste Products (AREA)
• Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)
• Processing Of Meat And Fish (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=25068323

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (7)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (5)

• 1986
  • 1986-02-05 JP JP61022215A patent/JPS6240243A/ja active Granted
  • 1986-06-27 WO PCT/SE1986/000314 patent/WO1987000733A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1986-06-27 EP EP86904439A patent/EP0270532A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1986-08-01 NZ NZ217054A patent/NZ217054A/xx unknown
  • 1986-08-06 CA CA000515415A patent/CA1295878C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1987
  • 1987-04-07 DK DK198701760A patent/DK174351B1/da not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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