A presentaion on packaging technology in seafood industry

1. Fresh Fish Packaging
A Presentation for Food Packaging
Mansooreh Jami,
Ph.D Student
Institute of Food Science
Department of Food Science and Technology
BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
1

2. Fresh fish
Great diversity
Fishing ground
Wild caught and farmed fish
Season
Fat content
Fish parts
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
2

3. Chemical composition
In general:
66-84% water
15-24% protein
0,1-22% fat
1-3% carbohydrates
0,8-2% minerals
Fat fish: more than 5% fat stored in the muscle (triglyceride)
Lean fish: fat stock in the liver and only 0,5-1,5% fat in the muscular tissue
Different chemical composition in different parts of the fillet
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
3

4. Biochemical changes of fish and fishery products
One of the most perishable foods; high water and free amino acid content, lower
content of connective tissue; faster spoilage than mammalian muscles.
shellfish containing high carbohydrate, low nitrogen content; nutrient sources for
microbial growth.
Immediately after death, several biochemical and enzymatic changes are triggered in
seafood muscles, especially with improper handling.
Therefore, spoilage in fish and shellfish depends on species and chemical
components. Those changes along with enzymatic and microbially induced activities
are involved in the degradation of muscles.
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
4

5. Packaging in general
Function of packaging:
Protect
Preserve
Practical
Containment
Communication
Information
Marketing
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
5

6. Many parameters to
consider:
Requirements to food packaging
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Safety of food packaging materials - migration
Taste and smell neutral
Barrier to light
Barrier to oxygen
Barrier to water vapour
Barrier to CO2
Barrier to aroma
Temperature at filling, storage and distribution
Machinability and sealing properties
Reuse- recycling
Price
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
6

7. Packaging Requirements of fresh fish
Fresh Fish
The major portion of fish consumed is in its fresh form.
requirements of a suitable fresh fish package are to:
Reduce dehydration
Reduce fat oxidation
Provide for less bacterial and chemical spoilage
Eliminate drip
Prevent odour permeation
Provide adequate mechanical strength to reduce handling damages
Preferably should be light in weight
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
8

8. Fish and packaging methods
Modified atmosphere packaging
Vacuum packaging
Active packaging
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
9

9. Modified atmosphere packaging
 defined as the enclosure of food products in gas–barrier materials, in which the gaseous
environment has been changed, extend the shelf-life and retard the deterioration of seafood under
refrigeration,
CO2
• the most important gas used in MAP of fish, bacteriostatic and fungistatic.
• inhibits growth of many spoilage bacteria
• the inhibition is increased with increased Co2concentration in the atmosphere
O2
• set as low as possible to inhibit the growth of aerobic spoilage bacteria. Its
presence is reported to increase oxidative rancidity
• High levels of oxygen are used in red meat and red fish meat (tunas, yellowtails,
etc.) to maintain the red colour of the meat.
• inhibit reduction of TMAO to TMA
N2
• an inert and tasteless gas, and is mostly used as a filler gas in MAP, because of its
low solubility in water and fat.
• replace O2 in packages to delay oxidative rancidity
• inhibit growth Food Packagingmicro-organisms, asI an alternative to vacuum packaging
of aerobic I Fresh Fish Packaging 16, Aug 2013-SS
10

10. Selection of packaging Materials for MAP
because of the specific properties exhibited by various plastics, the materials used are discussed
based on the specific requirement
Gas barrier:
• MAP for fish requires high barrier to Co2, O2, N2.
• The pre-determined gas mixture has to stay inside the package and remain the same mixture.
Packaging films or layers with high gas barrier are applied. PVDC co-polymers . EVOH have the
highest barrier to oxygen gas.
Water Vapour
Barrier:
• Impermeability to water vapour is important for fish packages as its quality is adversely altered by
dehydration. PVDC, coated OPP and HDPE are used. Other plastics like PA and PS have poor water
vapour barrier and yet some other plastics like EVOH can be adversely affected by moisture. films
must be laminated on both sides to protect it from contact with moisture.
Heat Sealability:
• A tight seal has to be formed between the tray and lidding material to prevent contamination and
dehydration of fish. The strong fish odour should not be allowed to spread. LDPE, EVA and PP are
widely used as a heat seal layer in laminates of fresh fish packaging.
Mechanical
Damage:
• Fresh fish can be easily bruised. EPS (expanded polystyrene) tray is widely used to protect the
sensitive product. To provide gas barrier and heat seal properties, EPS is used in combination with
EVOH and LDPE to provide a suitable package. At times, rigid HDPE tray is also used. A sufficient
head-spaceFood Packaging I resistant films like polyamides completes the package.
with puncture Fresh Fish Packaging I 16, Aug 2013-SS
11

11. Selection of packaging Materials for MAP
Oil Resistance:
• For fatty fish, oil resistant films like polyamides, PVDC and PVC ( un-plasticised) may be
considered. PET and OPP are also used as they provide excellent oil barrier.
Transparency:
• For fresh food, the visibility of the product is important to the consumer. PET and PP
films have superior optical clarity and, therefore, are applied for fish packaging overwraps and as lidding materials. The polymers may also be blended with antifogging
agents in order to reduce condensation on the lidding film.
Drip Absorber:
Insulation:
• Fresh fish packaged under modified atmosphere conditions may drip. In order to reduce
bacterial growth and provide a clean package interior, absorbent pads are enclosed.
Pads made of cellulose are placed under the fish or when an EPS tray is used, are
integrated as a layer.
• Insulation is of particular importance in transport packaging of ice chilled fish.
• Expanded polystyrene trays and boxes are generally used as retail and transport
packages respectively.
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
12

12. Vacuum packaging
is used for long-term storage of dry foods and the shelf-life extension of seafood
has good barrier properties towards oxygen and water and can be easily sealed.
Air is removed under vacuum and the package is sealed.
The products kept under a lower O2 atmosphere with less than 1% inhibiting the growth of aerobic spoilage
microorganisms, particularly Psuedomonas spp. and Aeromonas spp.,
Arashisar et al.,2004 reported that psychrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria counts were reduced in rainbow trout
packaged under vacuum packaging.
vacuum packaging could prevent oxidative rancidity and improve organoleptic quality in seafood.
vacuum packaging effectively extends the shelf-life of fishery products by maintaining their odor and flavor.
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
13

13. Active packaging
is a technique used for extending the shelf-life of seafood or fresh foods by addition of active agents that absorb or
release a compound in the gas phase.
Compounds in packaging include CO2, O2, water vapor, or volatiles.
Active agents can be useful in a package, such as oxygen or carbon dioxide scavengers, moisture absorber and
oxygen or carbon dioxide emitter.
active packaging systems have also been studied, in which specific bioactive substances are combined with the
packaging material or within the package resulting in the retardation of the microbial growth and lipid oxidation .
It was reported that the use of carbon dioxide emitters in fish can control the G/P ratio and volume reduction
compared with traditional MAP.
The O2 scavengers were used for improving the effect of shelf-life extension of catfish (Mohan et al.,2008). It can
also be used to reduce O2 in high fat products to prevent chemical deterioration e.g.,oxidative rancidity and
aerobic microbial spoilage.
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
14

14. Conclusion
Only the highest quality fish and seafood products should be used to benefit from the extended shelf-life advantages of
MAP. The extended shelf-life will depend on the species, fat content, initial microbial load, gas mixture, the ratio of G/P,
and most importantly temperature of storage.
Without proper control of storage temperatures, the benefits of MAP may be lost. Higher storage temperature will
inevitably lead to loss of dissolved CO2 in the product and consequently
loss of inhibitory effect; higher microbial and enzymatic activity; and uncertainties around the microbial safety of the
product
Food Packaging I
Fresh Fish Packaging I
16, Aug 2013-SS
15