Fish Enzyme Inhibitor From Potato Extends Surimi Source
Short supplies of Alaska Pollack for surimi may be solved by use of Pacific Whiting
Dean D. Duxbury, Senior Associate Editor
 Consumption of artificial crabmeat and other sea food products made with surimi continues to grow. Most of the surimi has traditionally been produced from the Alaskan Pollack species of fish that is harvested in the Bering Sea and off the coast of Alaska. However, the supply of Pollack is limited and this situation is currently creating a worldwide shortage of surimi.
In an effort to find alternative under-utilized species of fish for the production of acceptable surimi, extensive research has been conducted over the past five years by the Utilization Research Division, Northwest Fisheries Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) located in Seattle, WA. Methods of utilizing the Pacific Whiting species, specifically, were evaluated. Pacific Whiting is potentially a large worldwide source of fish for surimi; however, it does not have the same good gelling properties found in Alaskan Pollack.
The NMFS researchers did discover that excellent surimi can be made from Pacific Whiting if a special potato enzyme inhibitor is added to the minced fish during the production of the surimi. NMFS has patented the process under the title "Potato Product for Improving Heat Gelation of Fish Muscle" (#4,935,192). Subsequently, the January 25, 1991 issue of the Federal Register announced the granting of exclusive licensing rights in the U.S. and certain foreign countries to practice the invention to Nonpareil Corporation.
First Commercial Tests
First commercial quantities of surimi derived from Pacific Whiting were produced by U.S. factory ships working off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington beginning in April, 1991. A total of 192,000 metric tons of Pacific Whiting were allocated for harvest in these U.S. waters in 1991.
NMFS and the licensee worked with several surimi manufacturers to test the use of the licensee's potato ingredient to make surimi. They found that a 4-5% level of potato ingredient produced excellent Pacific Whiting surimi and the quality of crab analogs made from the surimi equals the quality of analogs made from Pollack surimi.
Bovine Plasma Alternative
Most of the surimi made from Pacific Whiting this year has been made by adding bovine plasma to act as a coagulant and improve the gelling properties. This product was limited to marketing and consumption to Japan. This plasma ingredient may be listed on the ingredient phrase of Japanese surimi as "flavoring".
According to the FDA, there is no regulation authorizing the use of beef blood plasma as a food or food additive in the U.S. They also do not currently recognize beef blood plasma as being generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Any application for surimi or other foods in the U.S. would require establishing a food additive regulation in response to a food additive petition. FDA also does not currently allow the import of beef blood plasma for purposes of processing into food for export.
Usage of a dehydrated potato product for enhancing the gelling of surimi provides a safe ingredient with less risk of causing allergic reactions by consumers from the consumption of finished surimi analog formulations.
Further information on Nonpareil's Potato Inhibitor PI for the production of surimi is available from Nonpareil Corp., 40 N. 400 W. Groveland Rd., Blackfoot, ID 83221.
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