Consistent high standards with fish and seafood quality analysis

Freshness, colour, oil content, fat content, texture, nutritional value, water retention – the list of quality parameters of fish and seafood goes on. But given the delicate and vulnerable nature of fish and seafood there are plenty of potential risks to quality. Cheating for financial gain introduces even further threats to quality. At the same time, there is a growing interest of consumers in food quality and safety issues.

Traditional analytical methods for fish and seafood quality analysis include various physicochemical, textural, sensory, and electrical methods. Despite the importance of these standard methods, they are expensive and time-consuming and susceptible to variation. Analytical solutions based on near infrared (NIR) have therefore become popular due to speed of analysis, minimal sample preparation and high repeatability. Multiple parameters including moisture, fat, oils, salt, pH and more can be delivered within in half a minute making NIR a versatile solution for different application areas from laboratories seeking a fast turnaround time, to analysis directly in the processing environment.

Advantages of fish and seafood quality analysis include optimal selection of raw material, exact matching of fat content specifications, production efficiency and ultimately, brand protection through compliance with end-product specifications and legal declarations.

Insights add value

On the spot fish and seafood quality analysis

Fast, accurate and easy to use instruments based on proven near infrared (NIR) technology are perfect for fish and seafood quality analysis, including analysis of raw and processed meat.

The instruments can be used in the production environment and for all stages of fish processing, from raw material to final product control, for example, the FoodScan™ 2 Fish Analyser gives you accurate results in just 25 seconds. Watch this demonstration video for a Foodscan 2 Meat analyzer using the same technology as for the FoodScan 2 Fish analyzer.

Perfect processing and packaging of tinned tuna

Moisture and protein content are critical parameters during tuna processing. A quick test for moisture is an excellent way to ensure quality and optimal profit as it helps to predict the tuna meat’s brine absorption ability. The more brine that can be absorbed, the higher the “drain weight” of the product.

Opportunities for analysis in the process include:
• Sampling at landing point to check moisture content (provides information about the freshness of the tuna)
• Sampling after pre-cooking to check protein content and to check if the heating process is optimal (getting the protein and moisture     content right, results in reduced waste of meat in the cutting process).
• During processing: control of histamine and salt (histamine regulations: Ecuador: 50 ppm; US: 100 ppm)
• Declarations: typical chemical parameters to declare by law on consumer cans/packaging: fat, protein, salt/sodium, carbohydrates,           saturated fat, fibre, cholesterol.

Screen for fraudulent scallop soaking

Scallops are an expensive shellfish that may be subject to fraudulent adjustment of the meat content by ‘soaking’ the scallop, so it absorbs additional water. This increases the weight and reduces the quality of the natural product.

In response, a reference test based on wet chemistry has been established to check the moisture/protein ratio. However, the test can be time consuming and costly especially when regular quick checks are required to screen scallops for possible soaking.

Using a rapid NIR instrument such as the FoodScan™ 2 is an ideal way to test a lot of samples quickly saving time and money while ensuring consistent quality of delivered products.