Seafood Chilling, Refrigeration and Freezing - Science and Technology

Fish and seafood are highly perishable, and must be preservedimmediately after being caught or harvested. It is very importantboth to preserving its quality and to ensure that it does not poseany risks to human health upon consumption. Chilling, refrigerationand freezing are the major preservation methods used with seafoodand fish products, all three processes aiming to preserve thefreshness and flavour of the fish. Consumer demand for fish remainshigh despite escalating prices in the last ten years which haveseen the retail cost of the most popular breeds (cod, haddock,salmon) more than double for unfrozen fish. Many consumers appearto be willing to pay a premium for freshness and quality, both ofwhich are closely linked in shoppers minds with theefficient chilling and refrigeration of the fish along the supplychain. At the same time, frozen fish and seafood has also grownmore popular with shoppers, as a cheaper, more convenientalternative to refrigerated fresh fish and seafood. Seafood Chilling, Refrigeration and Freezing presents thescience behind the chilling, refrigerating and freezing of fish andseafood, describing the chemical, microbiological and physicalchanges which take place during preservation, and considering thenew technologies which can be used, highlighting their benefits andtheir economic implications. The book takes account of thedifferent requirements for different breeds of fish and seafood,and includes both traditional and novel technologies, providingboth current and future perspectives. It will be required readingfor food scientists, fish processors and retailers as well as fishspecialists, researchers and process designers.