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Effect of Manufacturing Processes on Quality of Frozen Oyster

  • Date:2003-12-31
  • Volume:11
  • No:1&2
  • Page:67-73
  • Auther:Huey-Jine Chai, Pei-Fen Huang and Chwen-Herng Wu

The purpose of this study was to maintain the freshness and extend the shelf-life of frozen oysters, and to reduce the level of dripping after thawing. The raw oysters (Crassostrea gigas) used in this study were cultured oysters from the coastal area of Chiayi, Taiwan. Raw oysters were pretreated according to the procedures of heating (95 °C, for 3 or 5 min), battering, coating, and freezing (-20 or -70 °C). The processed oysters were stored at -20 °C for 16 weeks. The level of volatile basic nitrogen was lower than 10 mg%, and the pH value and aerobic plate count showed no significant changes during storage (p > 0.05). Results indicated that the quality of the processed oysters was as good as that of raw oysters. After thawing, the level of drip was low, and the oyster was prevented from freezing damage due to the process of battering and coating. Neither Escherichia coli nor Vibrio parahaemolyticus was detected, suggesting that frozen oyster products can meet sanitation criteria.