Icing of fish: A way to retain nutritional quality and food safety
S Nath, S Chowdhury and AK Singh
Aquaculture has shown a consequent upward trend based on scientific farming practices, technological advancement and mechanisation of fishing gear and craft that leads to transportation of harvested fish from landing centres to the distant market or processing factories especially in in live form to meet up the consumer’s preference. Transportation and handling procedures of live-fish comprise of several potential stressors including capture, onloading, transport, unloading, temperature differences, water quality changes and stocking, accelerate post-mortem metabolism, quickened rancidity and develop softer muscle texture, thus, having shorter shelf-life and worse taste than fillets from quickly killed fish. Whereas, iced fish followed by subsequent freezing having benefits in terms of retention of taste, convenience, price, nutritional quality and lower risk of microbial-parasitic infestation as in live fish, thus offering longer shelf life. Thus, iced and frozen table fish may be a healthier choice of consumption compared to stressed live fish.