Packaging of fish and fishery products

Packaging of fish and fishery products

1. Packaging of Fish and Fishery Products ( Packaging of Fresh Iced Fish, Ornamental Fish and Fingerlings ) VIKAS KUMAR Scientist (Fish Processing Technology) TOT Div., ICAR-CIPHET, Ludhiana

2. Fish Any aquatic organisms harvested for commercial purposes, whether caught in wild fisheries or harvested from aquaculture or fish farming. Whether of freshwater, estuarine/ brackish water or marine/ salt water; include ( Sachindra and Mahendrakar , 2015) finfish, crustaceans ( cray fish, crab, prawn/shrimp, lobster) and mollusks (bivalves- mussel, oyster, scallop; univalves- abalone, snail, conch; cephalopods-squid cuttlefish, octopus) Has significant dietary contribution in terms of high-quality, easily digested proteins and micronutrients. Accounted for 17 % of animal protein and 7 % of all proteins consumed by the global population (SOFIA, 2018). Provided about 3.2 billion people with almost 20 % of their average per capita intake of animal protein (SOFIA, 2018). Globally fish and fish products provide an average of 34 calories per capita per day (SOFIA, 2018).

3. Fish Broad Classification of Fish Finfish Shellfish Based on water body Major category taken Freshwater Brackishwater Saltwater Molluscans Crustaceans

4. Rohu - Labeo rohita Catla - Catla catla Mahseer - Tor tor Tilapia- Orechromis Pink Perch Murrels Pangas Milk fish Indian Seabass Fish base ( www.fishbase.org ) has listed 2384 finfish species from Indian subcontinent that includes 1704 marine, 762 fresh water, 202 endemic and 258 commercially exploited species. The marine fisheries resources of India comprises of more than 200 species of commercial finfish and shellfish. https://mpeda.gov.in/MPEDA/important_species.php#

5. Fisheries- Leveraging the Diverse Indian Opportunity Total Production= 12.61 MMT(3.58 MMT for marine and 7.21MMT inland fisheries) in 2017-18. 2 nd in world; share to global fish production: 6.3%. GDP contribution: 1%; Average annual growth rate:7% During 2018-19, India has exported fish and products of Rs. 47,620.59 crore . Vision for 2024: 1,00,000 crores . Coastline (8,118 kms ), Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) (2.02 million Km 2 ), Continental shelf (0.506 million Km 2 ) River and canals-1,91,024 Km; Reservoirs 3.15 million ha; ponds and tanks-2.35 million ha; oxbow lakes and derelict water-1.3 million ha), Brackish waters (1.24 million ha) and estuaries (0.29 million ha).

6. Packaging An essential requirement for virtually any product whether food or manufactured item. sells the product and therefore must reach the product in presentable form. protects the product from contamination and prevents it from spoilage. extends shelf life of a product, facilitates distribution and display, gives the product greater consumer appeal and facilitates the display of information on the product.

7. Need for Packaging of Fish and Fishery Products Fish is highly perishable food Fish quality deteriorates rapidly and potential life is reduced if it is not handled and stored properly. Fish must be refrigerated or frozen immediately after landing to prevent microbial deterioration. Usually, the fish is caught from places where it is processed or marketed and they need to be transported over long distances. Fish and fishery products can be grouped into fresh fish, frozen fish, canned fish, dried fish and other value added fish products. Each category requires special packaging.

8. Packaging of fresh/iced fish Fish remains fresh 4-6 hours depending on environmental conditions and types of fish. Journey <16 hrs.- non-returnable, inexpensive bamboo basket- ideal; 16-60 hrs. corrugated polypropyelene boxes/rigid HDPE box-ideal Corrugated boxes-cheaper, lighter and better insulating than wooden boxes. Foamed polystyrene/polyurethane slabs-good insulation Shallow, thermoformed tray of polystyrene with transparent film over-wrap for retail marketing under refrigeration in supermarkets

9. Container should have insulating properties to reduce the rate of melting of ice, reduce dehydration, reduce fat oxidation, eliminate drip, prevent odour permeation, be adequate mechanical strength to reduce handling damages, be light in weight be capable of being washed reasonably free of bacteria

10. Frozen fish Export of marine products is mostly in the frozen form. Most popular items: shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, lobster Factors affecting quality of frozen fish: moisture loss/dehydration, oxidation/rancidity, flavour loss, heat radiation and light Package should have good barrier properties i.e. low water vapour and oxygen permeability rates retain the odour inside the package withstand sub-zero temperatures.

11. Inner wrap: LDPE or high molecular weight HDPE or linear LDPE film Unit Carton- Waxed duplex cartons Film bags-LDPE or high molecular weight HDPE or linear LDPE Master Cartons- Wax corrugated fibre board cartons with high bursting strength, puncture resistance and compression strength.

12. Dried Fish In India, mackerels, shrimps, bombay ducks and tuna are the fishes generally sun dried, sometimes after application of salt. Hygroscopic in nature and absorbs moisture during humid climate. Prone to rancidity and attacks of insects. Traditionally, dried fish is packed in baskets made of “ palmyra ” leaves with a hessian lining on the outside. However, such packages do not provide protection from moisture absorption, oxygen or insects and therefore not suitable for exports. Modern plastic based films /laminates are the better alternatives and the possibility of vacuum packing can have potential application.

13. Smoked/Salted Fish Products are preferred mainly for improved/modified smoke flavour . It develops rancidity during frozen storage. Polyamide polyethylene laminates and polyester polystyrene laminated film Fish Pickle Contains spices, vinegar and oil. Requires grease-proof, inert, heat sealable packaging with low WVTR and impermeabilty to volatile flavour Bottle/ flexible plastic Polyester laminated with LDPE/HDPE co-extruded film with HDPE contact inside or Nylon- surylyn co-extruded film or LD/Nylon/ primacore co-extruded film

14. Value Added Fishery Products Battered and Breaded Products Desiccation, discolouration and development of rancidity Thermoformed trays made from food-grade plastics Materials used for thermoformed trays are Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) which remain stable and unaffected during prolonged frozen storage. Plastic films alone are not suitable for these products as they provide little mechanical protection to the products and as a result, the products get damaged or broken during handling and transportation.

15. Fish Curry ‘ Ready to Serve’ Canned curry- Retortable flexible pouches - ideal choice offers advantage of low cost, boil-in-bag facility , ease of opening and reduced weight . Suitable flexible laminate is polyester / aluminium foil / cast polypropylene . Laminates of polyester / cast PP can also be adopted Frozen curry- Themoformed trays made of polystyrene or PVC with a transparent over-wrap

16. Canned Fish Packaging material should be hermetically sealable, thermally conductive, inert to the contents and withstand heat processing at high temperature and pressure and not affect colour , odour , flavor, texture and food value of the product. Tinplate cans with sulphur -resistant lacquer coating on the food contact side , Aluminium cans made of aluminium alloyed with maganesium /manganese and inside coated with lacquer, Cans made of tin-free steel and Retortable pouches of 3-ply material, polyester/ aluminium foil/polypropylene.

17. Surimi Suirimi (Japanese term): mechanically deboned fish mince from white fleshed fish which is generally frozen as rectangular blocks. To prevent spoilage like dehydration and oxidative rancidity during storage, the packaging materials used should be a good barrier of water vapour , gases and odour . The material should also have good mechanical strength and should be stable at sub-zero temperature . Packaging adopted for block frozen shrimps is considered suitable for surimi blocks as well.

18. Fish Sausage A surimi -based product, identical to the popular pork sausage. Homogenized mass is stuffed into PVC casing using stuffer and ringed at the ends. Cooling follows heating to avoid shrinkage. Paperboard carton lined with a plastic film is ideal for short-term storage at refrigerated conditions, but for longer storage it is best kept frozen. The packaging used for block frozen shrimp can also be used for packaging fish sausages.

19. Accelerated Freeze Dried (AFD) Products Has low moisture content, generally <2%. Is very fragile prone to deterioration due to moisture absorption, oxidation and colour changes. The packaging should have low water vapour and oxygen permeabilities sufficient mechanical strength. Laminates of paper / aluminium foil / polyethylene or metallised polyester / polyethylene pouches -suitable. Fish Soup Powder Highly hygroscopic 12μ polyester laminated with co-extruded LD-HDPE or a five layered co-extruded film of 90-100μ LD-BA-Nylon-BA- Primocor identified suitable Ensures a safe storage of the product up to 180 days.

20. Shark Fin Rays Dried shark fin is a traditionally exported item from India. Moisture resistant packaging having good puncture resistance and sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the hazards of transportation Polyester/polyethylene laminates or nylon based five-layered co-extruded films having good puncture resistance are suitable.

21. Recent Advances Smart/Intelligent Packaging Modified Atmospheric Packaging Active Packaging Vacuum packaging

22. Modified atmospheric packaging Flexible films of nylon/ surlyn laminates, PVC moulded trays laminated with polythene, polyester/low density polythene film For lean fish, 30 % (Oxygen): 40 % (Carbon dioxide): 30 % (Nitrogen) is recommended. More CO 2 is used for fatty and oily fish with a comparable reduction in O 2 in mixture leading to 40-60 % N 2. Development of oxidative rancidity in fatty fish is slowed by exclusion of O 2 Oxygen can inhibit the growth of strictly anaerobic bacteria like C. botulinum although there is a very wide variation in the sensitivity of anaerobes to O 2 .

23. Active Packaging A type of packaging that changes the condition of the packaging and maintains these conditions throughout the storage period to extend shelf-life or to improve safety or sensory properties while maintaining the quality of packaged food. Scavenging or emitting systems added to emit (e.g., N 2 , CO 2 , ethanol , antimicrobials, antioxidants) and/or to remove (e.g., O 2 , CO 2 , odour , ethylene) gases during packaging, storage and distribution. Active packaging systems with dual functionality (combination of oxygen scavengers with carbon dioxide and/or antimicrobial/antioxidant substances are available. There is potential of colour containing films, light absorbing or regulating system, gas permeable/breathable films, anti-fogging films and insect repellant package .

24. Vacuum packaging Removal of air from the package and the application of a hermetic seal. Vacuum packed foods maintain their freshness and flavor 3-5 times longer than with conventional storage methods as they don't come in contact with oxygen. maintain their texture and appearance, because microorganisms such as bacteria mold and yeast cannot grow in a vacuum. freezer burn is eliminated, because foods no longer become dehydrated from contact with cold, dry air. Fatty fish won't become rancid, as there is no available oxygen

25. Packing of Fish Fry and Fingerlings

26. Limit of numbers to be packed for transportation in <12 hrs.

27. for your attention