Handling of

Aquatic
Products
JOLLYMAR M. CAPISTRANO, RFP
Mindanao State University-Marawi College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Topics:
▸ Spoilage of Fresh Aquatic
Products
▸ Hygiene and Sanitation
▸ Ways of Preparing Fish
▸ Filleting of Fish
▸ Characteristics of Fresh vs
Spoiled Aquatic Products
▸ Handling of (Fresh) Aquatic
Products
Spoilage
of Fresh
Aquatic
Products
Why do we need to follow
proper handling of
Aquatic Products?

▸ Prevent SPOILAGE!!!

▸ Fish and other aquatic products

are perishable commodities.
 What is
spoilage?
▸ Spoilage of fish is a process of
deterioration in the quality of
fish which changes its
appearance, odour, and taste.
▸ It begins soon after death.
What is spoilage?
▸ Manifests through:
 Breakdown of protein
(formation of hypoxanthine,
trimethylamine, and other
products)
 Gradual development of
undesirable odors and
flavors
 Softening of the flesh
 Loss of cellular fluid
 Rate of spoilage:
▸ Fatty fish spoil faster than lean
fish.
▸ Small-sized fish spoil faster
than large fish of the same
species.
▸ Cold-water fish spoil faster
than warm-water fish.
▸ Round fish spoil faster than
flat fish.
Rate of spoilage may be
affected by the
following (agents of
spoilage):
▸ Bacteria
▸ Fungi (Molds,
Yeasts)
▸ Enzymes
▸ Chemical Spoilage
▸ Bacteria - are minute microorganisms which causes spoilage. They are the
most difficult to destroy because they are highly resistant to heat and can
live in any temperature (cold, hot, and room).

 Mesophilic gram-positive such as Micrococcus, Bacillus, and Coryneforms

are
found in freshwater fish.
 Psychrotropic gram-negative such as Pseudomonas, Alteromonas,
Moraxella, Acinetobacter, Flavobacterium, Cytophaga, and Vibrio are
predominant in marine fish.
 Most active specific spoilage organisms (SSO) are gram-negative
psychrotropic rods such as Alteromonas putrefaciens and certain
Pseudomonas, Vibrio, and Aeromonas.
 Shewanella putrefaciens is a typical SSO for the aerobic chill spoilage of
many
fish from temperate waters.

▸ Molds - are cottony organisms that are commonly found on the surface of
decaying food, especially in dark and damp places.
▸ Yeasts - feed on sugars and are yellowish or whitish color on food surface. They
formgas which causes the fishery products to ferment.
▸ Enzymes - protein substances present in the muscle and in the gut of fish that
initiate or speed up chemical reactions; chemical substances found in
the flesh and digestive tract of the fish. They are useful to live fish for they help in
the digestion and conversion of food into waste matter (e.g. lipase causes
cereals to discolour and promotes hydrolytic rancidity in milk and oils, pectic
enzyme which promotes the softening and browning of fruits, tyrosinase causes
black spot formation in shrimps).

▸ Chemical Spoilage – mainly occurs during storage in ice or in frozen condition.

 Lipid autolysis – enzymatic hydrolysis with free fatty acids and glycerol as
main products.
 Auto-oxidation – the reaction of unsaturated lipid with oxygen.
Prevalent in aquatic products due to higher degree of unsaturation.
 Denaturation of protein - such as change in myoglobin (red meat turns
red- brown or dark brown.
 Blood circulation
Death of fish Oxygen supply falls
stops

Respiration ceases Glycolysis commences

(Conversion of Glycogen > Lactic Acid
Glycogen to CO2 (anaerobic conditions)
stops)
Fall in pH

Decrease in ATP and

creatine phosphate Liberation &
level activation
of
Cathepsins

Onset of rigor mortis Denaturation of

proteins Protein degradation

Accumulation of
various metabolites, Exudation of fluid Bacterial growth
flavour, precursor, and
etc. discoloration

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 Changes of Fish after
Death:
▸ Change of color – color of the gills, skin, and flesh starts to fade after death
(until it becomes pale when no preservative action is applied).

▸ Rigor mortis - occurs a few hours after death of the fish. Characterized by the
stiffness of the body due to the formation of lactic acid caused by bacteria.

▸ Autolysis – self-digestion takes place in the muscle tissue of the fish by

enzymes due to continuous digestion even in death. The fish in the state of
autolysis is stale.

▸ Putrefaction – in this state, the fish are spoiled. Their muscle tissues
decompose due to enzymatic and bacterial reactions. Breakdown of protein
occurs which result to putrid odor.

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Hygiene
and
Sanitation
▸ Cleanliness – is needed at every stage of fish handling
and preparation.
 “Clean” means the absence of visible dirt or unwanted
matter.
 “Cleaning”
other objectionable
is the removal of soil, food residues, dirt, grease,
matter.
or

 Sanitation/Disinfection – is the process of reducing the

number of living microorganisms (but not the spores) in the
▸ plant
Personal to a level
Hygiene judged
– a high safe of
degree bypersonal
public health authorities.
hygiene of the staff
is required in the preparation/processing of aquatic products.
 Hygiene – is the science of good health and, in everyday
use, it signifies cleanliness and freedom from the risk of
infectious disease.

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Ways of
Preparin
g Fish
 Different forms/cuts of
fish :
▸ Whole or Round - this form has all the fish parts intact. Dried and salted fish
commercially prepared in this form are anchovy, herring, sardine, and slipmouth.

▸ Drawn Fish (Gutted) - fish that has been eviscerated or the entrails removed.

▸ Dressed Fish - fish with scales, viscera, fins, head, and tail removed. It is ready to
cook or prepared particularly to improve presentation.

▸ Steaks - these pieces are cross section slices of a large dressed fish, usually 2-3 cm thick.

▸ Split - this is prepared by making a cut down the dorsal side of the fish, extending from the
caudal peduncle to the head, and by running the edge of a knife along the backbone.
 Different forms/cuts of
fish :
▸ Fillets - the meaty sides of the fish removed from the backbone and ribs of the fish.

 Single Fillet - one side of the flesh is cut away from the backbone. This is done by
cuting the flesh across down the backbone from behind the pectoral fin up to the
base of the caudal peduncle by running the sharp edge of the knife along the
backbone and ribs simultaneously.
 Butterfly Fillet - this is made when two fleshy sides of the fish are cut and joined
together by the flesh and skin of the belly corresponding to two single fillets.
 Quarter Fillet - this represents one-fourth fillet of the meat of fish.

▸ Sticks and Portions - these are small elogated chunks (rectangles) of uniform size and
thickness cut from the meaty portion (fillet) of the fish.

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Filleting
of Fish
 Filleting of Fish
(by Espejo-Hermes)

1. Lay fish on side. Cut 3. Cut forward to clear

from just behind base of fillet from the ribs. The
pectoral fin knife should
round the back of the be held parallel to the rib
head. bones. Cut through the
“pin” (small rib) bones.

2. Cut towards tail along 4. Cut over the edge of the

the line of the dorsal fin. ribs towards the tail,
The cut should only flatten knife
penetrate as far as onto the backbone after
the backbone. finishing cutting over the
ribs and remove any belly
flap or fin present.

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 Filleting of Fish
(by Espejo-Hermes)
5. Turn fish over. Cut
just behind the base of
pectoral fin and round the
back of the head.
through the “pin” bones and
6. Cut from tail as close
to backbone as possible
into the corner at the back
of the neck.
Note the angle at which
the head is held. This
keeps the backbone flat
on the board.
7. Cut forward parallel to
angle of the rib bones,
cutting
open cut fillet.
8. Cut from behind head
over the end of ribs
towards tail. The knife
should be held at an angle
to remove flesh from the
center of fish without
cutting off fins. On large
fish, two cuts may be
required if a short-bladed
knife is used. Trim fillet to
remove
any belly flap or fin.
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Filleting of Fish
(by Espejo-Hermes)

9. Two fillets and carcass.

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Characteristics
of Fresh and
Spoiled
Aquatic
Products
 Characteristics of Fresh and Stale
Fish Fresh Fish Stale Fish

1. Odor Fishy Foul or sour

2. Gills Bright red Light pink

3. Slime Clear and few on the skin Cloudy and plenty on the skin

4. Eyes Clear, transparent, bright, and protruding Cloudy and shrunken

5. Flesh Firm and elastic; finger marks do not remain Soft and finger prints remain

6. Skin and color Shiny and bright Dull and pale

7. Scales Stick tightly to the skin Loose and easily removed

8. Vent Pinkish and reddish Brownish

9. pH 6.0 to 7.0 Below 6.0

10. Water test Sink in a basin of freshwater Float in a basin of freshwater

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 Characteristics of Fresh and Stale Crustaceans

Fresh Crustaceans Stale Crustaceans

1. Odor Mild and sweet Foul or offensive

2. Shells/Claws/Carapace Adhere tightly to the flesh Loose and easily removed
3. Meat (cooked) Firm in texture Soft and flabby

4. Color (cooked) Bright red Dull red

5. Eyes Clear and protruding Cloudy and sunken

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Handling
of (Fresh)
Aquatic
Products
 Steps in Handling Fresh
1. Avoid
Fish:
exposing the fish to sunlight. If possible, keep them in
shaded
place.
2. Ice the fish immediately after they are harvested to lower
their
temperature. Crushed saltwater ice lowers their
3. Eviscerate
temperaturethe fishtoby removing the gills and internal organs
through
inactive bacterial growth. The proportion of fish to ice is 1:1 for
the
longoperculum.
distances, This
and prevents autolytic
2:1 to short action from the food eaten
distances.
appearance of
by
fish.
the fish. Be careful isthmus must be intact to maintain
the
good
fish.
4. Avoid soaking the fish too long in water after death. This easily
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 Steps in Handling
1. Must Crabs:
not be handled frequently after harvest because they are
very
delicate
2. .Crabs can be held alive in seawater for a considerable length of
Adequate
time. water circulation or seawater exchange is
3. For short term storage, crabs can be kept in clean moist bags or
necessary.
boxes
but the humidity must be
high.
4. Removal of crabs from traps by holding the claws must be avoided
claws
to are caught.
5. Exposure to loss
prevent the highoftemperature weakens
claws. Crabs theclaws
shed their crabs.when they sense
6. their
To prevent damage dur to fighting during transport, the crabs must
be
packed closely in wet straw or shavings.
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 Steps in Handling
1. If Lobsters:
possible, lobsters must be landed alive, not damaged
and
stressed
2. .They should be protected from direct sunlight and kept moist at
all times.
3. They can be kept alive for 24 hours as long as the humidity is
high.
4. Can be immobilized at temperatures as high as 14C.
5. If dead, lobsters must be beheaded to prevent blackening, and
the tails must be washed thoroughly in clean seawater and
chilled using crushed ice.

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 Steps in Handling Oysters and
1. Should be harvested
Mussels: with care.
2. Farmed mussels possess thin shells and are easily damaged. They must be gathered in
clusters
3. to reduce water loss which could shorten their life after harvest.
4. within
Must
The byssus
be keptgland
damp which
at allsecretes
times. sticky hairs should not be pulled out or the mussel will
5.
die
hours.
6. Direct contact
Mussels can be with icebetween
chilled must be avoided
2-4C using a byblanket
using ofa melting
layer ofice.
perforated material such
as
cheesecloth.
Oysters can survive for one week out of water provided they are kept cool and humid.
Live oysters and mussels must be immersed in clean flowing salt water for a number of
hours before marketing for purification purposes.
9. When shucking oysters, the shells should be thoroughly cleaned by brushing off the
the dirt
attached
10. muscle.
After shucking,
before theknife
inserting the meatbetween
must bethe
washed
shellsinincool
the running water
right hand toof
side remove sandand
the hinge andthen
mud,
and then packed in containers with chilled
cutting
11. water.
The shucked oysters must be kept at low temperatures until
processing.
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 Ways of Reducing and
Destroying Microorganisms:
1. For large fish, rip out the gills and thoroughly wash the belly cavity with plenty
chlorinated marine
of
water.
3.
2. marine
If water.
fish are sold in fresh condition and in whole or round form, wash them with
4. refrigerated
Apply correct icing where each fish is surrounded with ice.
Iced and frozen fish must be eviscerated and temperature must be maintained. The
ideal
temperature for frozen fish is -40C (-40F) where shelf-life of fish lasts up to one
year. Commercial cold storage (7.22C/45F) is enough but shelf-life lasts for few days
5. to weeks.
If fish are to be processed, all utensils, equipment, and materials used in processing
must
6. be properly clean. Processors must be neat and clean.
If fish are to be processed by salting, pure salt must be used; if pickling, distilled
vinegar
and refined sugar must be used; if canning, containers such as glass jars and tin cans
must
7. be sterilized before packing. Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus | College of Fisheries
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Thanks!
Any questions? You can find me at:
@jollymar.capistrano@msumain.edu.ph
(email)
@Jollymar Capistrano
(Facebook)