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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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