Like many other products, fresh fish and seafood when refrigerated have a very short shelf life - 1-2 days. To expand opportunities for selling these products, the manufacturer needs to provide high-quality, technologically advanced packaging with increased shelf life.
The simplest way to achieve this goal is to pack in vacuum bags. Such packaging will ensure shelf life of up to 5–7 days at a temperature of 0.+2 C°. In addition, in addition to extending shelf life, vacuum packaging of fish and seafood provides a number of advantages:
- prevention of product weathering and loss of presentation;
- preservation of taste and prevention of rancidity of the product from contact with oxygen;
- absence of odor, which is a big advantage, both for the store, where it is necessary to store diverse products in one refrigerator, and for the consumer;
- packaging portioned cuts is a big advantage for the consumer, since there is no need to cut the products themselves, and also makes it possible to purchase exactly the required amount of product.
Fish in vacuum packaging looks appetizing
When packaging chilled fish and seafood in vacuum bags, the manufacturer may encounter some problems:
Why is expired fish dangerous?
Fish and seafood are perhaps the most unstable during storage, and they should be consumed only fresh; if expired, they can cause fatal poisoning, since their natural decay produces highly toxic substances that are foreign to the human body.
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Shelf life of fish products in vacuum packaging: advice from professionals
It is known that fish is a perishable product, so the consumer purchases a small amount of fish or fillet to immediately eat. But many fresh frozen fish are stored in the freezer. However, after thawing, the fish will no longer have a dense structure, since ice crystals destroy it.
Lightly salted and smoked fish can be stored in the refrigerator, but you need to know that fish proteins are very sensitive to light and oxygen, so after 2-3 days the first signs of spoilage appear (change in color, smell, loss of elasticity). The consumer does not know how long the fish spent on the store counter.
Vacuum packaging of fish allows you to increase the shelf life several times, allows you to preserve the appearance, color, smell, aroma, taste of fish, improve the process of salting and marinating, preserve vitamins and attractive appearance. When selling fish in vacuum packaging, you can package it into consumer-friendly portions of different sizes, thicknesses, lengths, and also store the product in the freezer.
Vacuum packaging of chilled, salted, smoked, dried fish prevents dehydration and weathering, so that the fish in the package does not become overdried and brittle, and the original weight of the product is preserved. The absence of odor allows you to store food from different groups in one refrigerator. There is no need to clean and gut the fish, since already processed fish is often vacuum packed.
Transparent packaging allows the buyer to examine the product, conveniently store and transport it due to the fact that the product in vacuum packaging takes up little space. When choosing salted fish in vacuum packaging, be sure to check the tightness of the packaging.
There should be no air or liquid inside the package, and the film should fit tightly to the fish. The presence of liquid inside the vacuum packaging indicates a violation of the technology for preparing or packaging fish. Be sure to pay attention to the expiration date of the fish.
You should choose those packages where the production date is indicated with a stamp directly on the film, because the pasted label may be re-pasted by an unscrupulous seller. Fish that has expired should not be eaten, even if it looks quite appetizing. You should buy vacuum-packed fish only from a display case equipped with a refrigerator. If vacuum packages are on the shelves of a warm sales area that are not equipped with a refrigerator, then it is better not to take such fish.
The fish inside the package should have a beautiful natural color. If whitish mucus appears on the surface of the fish, this means that the product is spoiled: the storage conditions were violated or the expiration date has expired. It is dangerous to buy such fish. The shelf life of lightly salted fish at temperatures from -8 to -4°C is usually 45 days, and from 0 to +6 - no more than 20 days. After opening the vacuum package, salted fish can be stored in the home refrigerator for only 2-3 days.
When packaging under vacuum, air is actively removed and the seams of the container are subsequently sealed. Recently, in addition to the airless vacuum environment, a modified gas environment has also begun to be used. There are positive properties of vacuum-packed food products: the shelf life of packaged products is extended compared to unpackaged ones; organoleptic properties (taste, smell) are preserved for a long time, weathering and drying are prevented; during transportation, storage and sale of products, there is no secondary contamination or contamination with microbes; When using a zip fastener in the packaging, when opening it and using part of the product, the remainder does not need to be repacked.
All information in declarations and on the label must comply with the Technical Regulations. Before registering on the Rosakkreditatsiya website, experts from the certification body provide the service of correctly filling out the declaration of conformity for fish products after laboratory safety tests.
Specialists of the certification body FSBI "Rostov Reference Center of Rosselkhoznadzor"
Storing minced fish
After preparing minced meat and purchasing it in a supermarket, it can be stored for 6 hours by placing it in the refrigerator. Next you need to use it for cooking. If there is any minced meat for future use, it must be frozen. Store at a temperature of -6-18°C – 3 months. It is permissible to leave purchased packaged minced meat in a cold place for a day. An important requirement is not to damage the integrity of the packaging.
Fish is good for humans, has a positive effect on the heart, immune system, blood vessels, and serves as a prevention of cancer. It contains omega 3 acid, proteins, vitamins, phosphorus, and calcium. To maintain the balance of nutrients in the body, you need to consume only proven quality foods. It is necessary to check the date of manufacture on fish products if they were purchased in a store or put a mark on home-made products. After the expiration date, be sure to dispose of the seafood product.
General information
Dried fish stores well in a cool, dry place, such as a basement, attic or pantry. Before storing, fish should be sorted by size. Small copies can be wrapped in paper several pieces at a time, and large ones can be wrapped one at a time. The fish are hung on hooks and left for storage in a room with a temperature of 10 0C and a relative humidity of 80%. In this case, the storage period is 4 months, if the room is regularly ventilated.
How to properly store dried and dried fish
There are various ways to store roach, bream and other fish at home. For example, for transporting fish on a train, the short-term storage method is used; for long-term storage in an apartment, the principle of long-term storage is used.
REFERENCE! It is equally important to observe the shelf life of fish so that it can remain tasty and not dry out.
Method for short-term storage
Dried fish can be stored at room temperature without packaging for up to a week. If you leave it for a longer period, the fish will dry out. Therefore, if you need to store fish for more than a week, then you need to wrap it in paper or put it in a cardboard box. It should be stored under certain conditions considered optimal:
— air temperature — no higher than 8 0С;
— humidity — from 65 to 80%.
To save space, you can cut off the fins from the fish. The fish should be wrapped in paper so that the fat contained in it does not oxidize. In addition, the wrapper will help the fish not dry out.
How long do hot smoked products last?
In such conditions, smoked meats are perfectly stored for up to 2-3 months without losing their qualities. If you want to increase the shelf life of your products, you can use the following methods: Use vacuum packaging for storage - up to 3 months. Freeze at temperatures from -20°C to -30°C for up to 3 months or more.
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How to store dried fish at home
Dried and dried fish are stored almost equally. The difference is that small, lean fish are dried cold and hot, with or without salt. After drying, after 6-8 weeks, the water completely evaporates from the carcass, which is what determines the fish’s ability to be stored for up to 10 months.
Carcasses are wrapped in food paper, foil, film or cloth. Place for storage in wicker baskets, corrugated cardboard boxes or wooden boxes.
When you plan to use dried ram as a homemade fish seasoning for sauces and first courses, it is ground to a powder and stored in an airtight jar on the seasoning shelf for up to 1 year.
In a refrigerator
The fish, wrapped in cling film or paper, is placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. For proper storage, you need to exclude the presence of products that release moisture on one shelf: fruits, soups, baked goods. To prevent the absorption of odors, the fish is additionally placed in a paper bag.
In the freezer
Before storing in the freezer, the product is packaged in portions in plastic bags, film, containers with a lid so that the fish does not come into contact with raw meat or frozen minced meat. Each carcass is wrapped in food paper. Storage temperature -5°…-18°. Vacuum packaging works well.
In cans and boxes
Instead of vacuum jars, there is an easier way to store dried ram.
Step by step recipe:
- Pure alcohol, approximately 100 g, is poured onto the bottom of the dish to create a layer of 1-2 cm;
- dried fish are placed tightly with their tails down;
- roll up the lid and put it in a dark place.
Alcohol vapors have almost no effect on the taste, but dried fish can be stored for up to 6 months.
They are placed in boxes, covering each row with paper, straw, and wood shavings. To save space, cut off the fins and tail. Such preparations are stored in a dark, cool, dry place for six months.
Maintaining hygienic packaging
After placing the product in vacuum bags, the edge of the bag remains contaminated from contact with the product, retaining a specific odor and creating favorable conditions for the development of microorganisms. To maintain hygiene, when working with fish and seafood products, it is necessary to remove the contaminated edge of the bag. For this purpose, all BOSS brand vacuum packaging machines, including the gastronomic series, have a welded system in the form of a weld seam and a cut string. This allows you not only to seal the bag at the end of the vacuum cycle, but also to immediately remove the excess, contaminated edge of the bag, ensuring packaging hygiene.
Storage conditions for dried fish
Due to the salt used to prepare dried fish, it itself is preserved well. Salt is a good preservative. But for longer storage, conditions are necessary so that the fish does not soften, dry out or spoil.
To properly store dried fish at home, ensure the proper microclimate. For a batch of product, it is important to maintain the temperature in the range from -18° to +15°, depending on the selected container and storage location. Relative humidity is not higher than 75-80%. Organize individual packaging and reliable protection from light.
Factors affecting shelf life
As with any product, the shelf life of dried fish is influenced by several basic parameters. These include:
- ambient temperature
- humidity in the room or container where the dried fish product is stored
- light level
- presence of direct contact with oxygen
The above list is standard for most prepared meals, semi-finished products and raw foods. Therefore, it is not surprising that traditional methods are used to preserve dried or dried fish.
