November 14, 2006

 

America debates whether to have seafood frozen or fresh

 

 

As America comes to rely increasingly on imported seafood, whether frozen seafood taste worse than fresh seafood has come to the forefront of the consumer debate.

 

Up to 70 percent of seafood in the US is imported and Steve Otwell, professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Florida, said it is likely to stay that way.

 

The debate has great significance for the aquaculture industry as it would affect the nations fervently exporting to the US and the future of fledgling efforts to make similar aquaculture projects feasible in the US.

 

Most people would think fresh seafood tastes better than the frozen variety. Not so, says Otwell, who worked with the National Academy of Sciences on its recent seafood analysis report.

 

Otwell said in taste tests, panels preferred seafood that has been frozen and thawed properly.

 

The seafood study, released in October says that the demand for seafood now exceeds domestic supplies and would require more dependence on international sources.

 

In fact, fresh seafood carries more danger as it may contain parasitic infections if it has not been frozen. Freezing the food also tenderizes the meat, making it more appealing, Otwell said.

 

The federal Food and Drug Administration initiated a national seafood inspection programme in 1991, and it sets similar standards for foreign suppliers. However, Roger Moore, executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, said that there is no way of knowing if an international supplier is following these standards.

 

The crux of the matter is how long the fish has been kept unfrozen right after the harvest. A fish that has gone bad would not taste good even if it is frozen, Moore said.

 

In comes Individual Quick Frozen, a process that freezes fish right after harvesting and is one of the most expensive systems, according to International Freezing Systems, a Texas-based company that markets freezing systems.

 

There may be up to 500 seafood processing centers in California but even customised packaging does not replace truly fresh seafood.

 

In the aftermath of the E. Coli scare, store owners may find selling frozen seafood easier, since the cold kills any bacteria.