Producedby:FisheriesandAquaculture

Department
Title:Planningandengineeringdata.2.FishCanning...

Moredetails

4.PROCESSING
4.1TechnologicalProcesses
4.2ProcessingOperations

4.1TechnologicalProcesses
Themainobjectiveofcanningistoobtainashelfstableproductthatcanbestoredinsuitablecontainersforaconsiderable
lengthoftime(atleasttwoyears)withoutundergoingfoodspoilage,whileretainingdesirablenutritionalandsensory
qualities.
Toachievesatisfactoryshelflifethefollowingconditionsmustbeobserved:
i. Thecontentsofthecansmustbecommerciallysterilized.
ii. Theinsideofthecanmustberesistanttoanddamagingeffectsfromthecontentsandtheoutsidemustberesistantto
corrosionunderreasonablestorageconditions.
iii. Thecanendsmustbesealedtopreventingressofwaterand/orairoranyformofcontamination.

4.2ProcessingOperations
4.2.1General
Fishshouldbechillstoredatatemperaturebetween0and2C,orsortedfrozeninfreezersattemperaturesbelow28C.
Whenfrozenfishisused,itmustbethawedbeforegradingand/ordressing.
Inthefollowingdescriptionsoftheprocessingstagesforvariousproducts,operationswhicharesimilararedescribedin
Chapter4.2.2"Descriptionofcanningtunainbrine",andsubsequentlyonlymentioned.

4.2.2Descriptionofcanningtunainbrine
Thedescriptionisrelatedtocanningplantwithacapacityof20tonswholerawfish(bluefinoryellowfintuna)per8hours.
Theoverallyieldisapproximately5055%whichgivesapproximately10000450g(1pound)cansor20000225g(1/2
pound)cansper8hours.SeeFigure4"Layoutfortunacannery".
Simplifiedflowsheetsforcanningtunainbrine,tunaflakeswithvegetablesandtuna.petfoodareshowninFigures5,6and
7respectively.
Sequentialprocessingoperationsforcanningtunaaredescribedasfollows:
a. Frozentunaisthawed,preferably,bymeansofrunningwateratatemperatureof1015C.Lossduringthawingis
0.51.0%.
Holdingoffrozentunaforlongperiodsbeforethawingmayleadtooxidationoffatresultinginayellowtoorange
discolourationonthesurfaceofthecookedloins.Usuallythissurfacediscolourationcanberemovedwhenthefishis
cleaned.
b. Longitudinalcutsarecommonwithlargesizedtunaandthevisceraareremovedfromthefishonboardfishingvessels
priortofreezing.Bonitoandskipjackarefrozenwithviscera.Oncethawed,thetunaiswashedandinspectedfor
spoilage.Iftunaisnotevisceratedonboardvesselsthismustbedoneintheplant.Thesplittingandevisceration
procedureistheonlybutcheringoperationperformedonthetunawhileitisintherawcondition.Allothercleaningis
performedafterthetunahasbeencooked.Lossofweightisapproximately2427%.

Figure4Layoutfortunacannery

Figure5Flowsheetforcanningtunainbrine

Figure6Flowsheetfortunaflakeswithvegetables

Figure7Flowsheetfortunapetfood
c. Thetunaisgivenaprecookbyheatingatatemperatureinrangeof102to104C.Thisoperationisnecessaryto
makeitpossibletohandpickthelightmeatfromthecarcassandalsotoremovesomeoftheoilfromoilyfish.
Thefishisplacedinbasketswhichareplacedonracks.Theracksofbutcheredfisharerolledintothecookerswhich
areusuallyofrectangularcrosssectionandmadeofreinforcedsteelplatewithadoor,ordoors,atoneorbothends.
Theprecookingisabatchtypeoperation.
Steamisadmittedthroughasteamspreaderonthefloorofthecooker.Steamventanddrainvalvesareprovidedto
permitremovalofairandcondensate.Precookingmayalsobecarriedoutinboilingbrine.
Theprecookingtimeforindividualbatchesvarieswidelyaccordingtothesizeoftuna.Forexample,thecookingtime
mayvaryfrom11/2hoursforsmalltunato8to10hours,ormore,forlargertuna.Lossofweightisapproximately22
26%.
d. Tunaiscooledthoroughlytofirmthefleshbeforethemanualcleaningoperationcanbeperformed.Lossofweightis
approximately35%.
e. Aftertheprecookingandcoolingoperations,tunaisindividuallycleaned.Theheadisremovedandthefishisskinned
andsplitintohalvesbeforeremovingthetailandbackbone.Theloinsareproducedbysplittingthehalvesofthefish
alongthemedianline.Redmeatisthenremovedfromeachlointhebloodanddarkmeatarescrapedawayandthe
loins,edibleflakesandwasteproductsareseparatedoftheseportionsapproximately15%isflaketuna.
f. Theproductionofsolidpackswasformerlyahandpackingoperation,butisnowcarriedoutbymachines.This
machineproducesacylinderoftunaloinsofuniformdensityfromwhichcanbecutcanzisedsegmentsofuniform
weight.
Chunkpacksareproducedfromloinswhicharecutonamovingbeltbymeansofreciprocatingcutterblades.Thecut
loinsarethenfilledintocansbytunafillermachines.
Flakesandgratedtuna,whichisproducedfrombrokenloinsandflakes,areJpackedinthesamewayaschunk
packs.
g. Theopencansnextpassthelinewhereadditivessuchassalt,vegetablesandfinallyeitherwateroroilareadded.Oil
shouldbeaddedslowlyoverasufficientstretchofthelinetopermititsthoroughabsorbtionbythetunameat.Whenoil
isnotaddedanequivalentamountofwaterreplacesit.Theoiltemperatureisrecommendedtobe80C90C.
h. Smallcansmaybeclosed,withoutavacuum,andprocesseddirectly,whereaslargeronesmustbevacuumsealed.
Asthepressureinthecanincreasesconsiderablyduringheatprocessing,thevacuumisnecessarytominimizethe
pressureincreaseinordertoreducethechanceofdistortion(peaking)anddamagetothedoubleseam.
Afterprocessingandcoolingtheformationof.thevacuumcausestheendsofthecantoassumeaconcaveprofile
whichischaracteristicofvacuumpackedandhermeticallysealedcans.Thevacuumalsoreducestheresidualoxygen
contentinthecanandthereforetheextentofinternalcorrosion.
Inordertoformavacuum,cansareseamedbyusingeithervacuumseamersoranexhaustsystem.
Whenusingtheexhaustingmethodthelidsofthecansarefirstclippedorclinchedontothebodyinsuchawayasto
allowfreepassageofgasesandvapoursoutofthecan.Thecanandcontentsarethenheatedbypassagethrough
anexhaustbox.Thelidisseamedtothecanimmediatelyitemergesfromtheexhaustbox,sothatwhenthecontents
coolavacuumisobtained.Thusthesystemreliesonsealingthecanwhilethecontentsarehotandallowingproduct
contractiontocreatethevacuum.
Analternatemethodofachievingavacuuminsealedcansisbyusingvacuumseamers.Thesemachinesclosethe
cansandwhilesodoingdrawtheairoutthuscreatingavacuum.
i. Thedoubleseamingmethodisusuallyusedtosealmetalcontainers.Theseamiscreatedintwooperations.See
Figure8."SeamingOperationDoubleSeam(CAC/RCP101976).
Thecan,withthelid(canend)placedorclinchedontop,standsonabaseplatewhichisraisedsothata
chuckfitsintothecountersinkpartofthelid,holdingbothinposition.
Thecanendwhichislinedwithaplastisolsealingcompoundiscrimpedintoplacesothatitformstheso
called"coverhook"aroundthelipofthecontainerbody.

The"coverhook"andtheenclosedlipofthecontainerarefoldeddownagainstthecontainerand
interlockaboutthe"bodyhook".Bothhooksoverlaptoformastrongjointwhichactsasahermeticseal.
Thesealingcompoundrenderstheseamairtight(hermetic).Arounditscircumferencethedoubleseam
consistsoffivelayersofmetalthreelayersofthecanendandtwolayersofthecanbody,howeveratthe
intersectionwiththesideseamtherearesevenlayersofplate,theextratwobeingduetosideseamoverlap.
Theseamingoperationmustbemonitoredthroughouttheprocessingandvisualinspectionsshouldbecarried
outatleastevery30minutes(Warne,1993).
Goodmanufacturingpracticeindicatesthatthe.overlapshouldbeatleast45%oftheinternalseamlenghtto
ensurethattheseamwillfunctioncorrectlyandresisttominorabuse.

Figure8Seamingoperationdoubleseam
j. Thesealedcansaretransferredbyaconveyorthroughacanwasherwhichcleansthecansindetergentandwater
beforedischargingthemintoretortbaskets.Theretortbasketsaretransferredintotheretortandthecanssterilized.
Table7Examplesofretortingtemperaturesandtimesforcannedtuna
Nominalcapacity Alternative Processingtemp. conditionstime
ofcans
(C)
(min)
1.8kg(4pound)

450g{lpound)

225g(l/2pound)

112g(l/4pound)

116

230

II

121

190

116

95

II

121

80

116

75

II

121

45

116

65

II

121

40

Allcannedfishproductsaresterilizedattemperaturesabove100C.Sterilizationtakesplaceinretorts,withor
withoutwater.Overpressureisbetween23kg/cm.Processingconditionsshownaresuitableforthose
canneries,operatingunderconditionsofgoodmanufacturingpractice.Individualcanneriesmayselectdifferent
processingtimesand/ortemperaturestosuittheirmanufacturingrequirements.
Thesimplestandmostcommonretortstodayarehorizontal,orvertical,batchretorts.
Thefollowinggeneraldescription.appliestoprocessinginbatchretortsusingsaturatedsteamastheheating
medium.
Aftertheretortisloadedthedoororlidisclosedandthesealischeckedtoconfirmthatallthelugsarefastened
securely.Thetemperaturerecorderischeckedtoensurethatitisworkingcorrectly.Followingthistheventsand
bleedersareopenedandthedrainandoverflowareclosed{unlesstheoverflowisusedforventing).
Theretortisnowreadyforoperationduringwhichthefollowingoperationalproceduresshouldbeadopted:
Steamisadmittedbygraduallyopeningthecontrollerandthesteambypasslines.
Whenthecorrectventingtemperatureisreached(>100C)and/orthespecified,venttimehaselapsed,
theventsareclosed.Itisbadpracticetoventlessthantherecommendedtimenorshouldreliancebe
placedonagreementbetweenthemercurythermometerandpressuregaugereadingsasacriterionfor
completeairelimination,asthisisnotnecessarilyatrueindicationoftherequiredcondition.Ifthe
pressuregaugeisreadinghighwhilethetemperatureisreadinglow,thereisstillairintheretortand
ventingshouldbecontinueduntilagreementbetweenpressurereadingandthecorrespondingretort
temperatureisreached.
Graduallyclosethebypassastheretortapproachestheprocessingtemperature.Thiswillpreventa
suddendropintemperatureasthesteamsupplyiscutwhentheretortingtemperatureisreached.
Whentheretorthasreachedtheprocessingtemperature,checkthetemperatureindicatedonthe
mercuryandrecordingthermometers.Whileitisnotseriousifthethermographindicatesatemperature
slightlylower(say1C)thanthemercurythermometer,itismostimportantthatitneverreadshigher.At
alltimesthemercurythermometershouldbeusedasthereference,forindicatingtrueretorttemperature.
Atthestartoftheprocess,recordontheproductionrecordsthetime,themercurythermometerreading,
thepressure,andthetemperatureindicatedbytherecordingthermometer.
Keeparecordofthecomeuptimetomakecertainithasbeenlongenoughto.allowsufficientventing.
Maintaintheretorttemperatureattherecommendedprocessingtemperature.
Throughouttheprocess,checkthatthespecifiedtemperatureisbeingmaintained.
Leaveallbleederswideopenduringtheentireprocess.
Whentherecommendedprocessingtimehaselapsed,turnoffthesteamandimmediatelystartthe
coolingcycle.
k. Whenprocessingmediumsizedorlargercans(saygreaterthan250g)inretortsusingsteamitmaybenecessaryto
coolthecansunderpressuresothattheendsdonotpeakduringcooling.Steammaybeusedtomaintainthe
pressurebutcompressedairismoreusual.Thecoolingtimedependsontheprocessingtemperature,thetemperature
ofthewaterusedforcooling,thecansizeandthenatureofthepack(i.e.,liquidtosolidratio).

l. Ifnecessarythecansshouldbewashedbeforetemporarystorage,howeverundernoconditionsshouldthe
processedcansbemanuallyhandledwhilewet.

4.2.3Descriptionoftheprocessingoperationsofanautomaticcanninglineforskipjack
Thedescriptionsarerelatedtoaplantwithacapacityof10tonswholefishper8hours.Theoverallyieldis5055%and
approximately900010000450g(1pound)cansareproducedper8hours.SeeFigure9"Layoutporskipjackcannery".
Theweightofthefishtobeprocessedisapproximately2to5kgperfish.
a. Fromthechillroomthewholefreshskipjackisbroughttoabulkelevatorwhichtransportsthefishtoaguttingmachine
whichconsistsofasemiautomaticmachineinwhichthefishisplacedwithitsbellyupermost.Arotatingknifeopens
thefishandremovestheviscera.
Thefishisconveyedtoarotatingnylonbrushunderwhichitiscleanedbywaterspraynozzles.
Aftereviscerationthetunaisconveyedtoaninspectiontablewherethefinalcleaningiscompletedmanuallyorwhere
thosefish,toolargefortheguttingmachine,canbebutchered.Atthedischargeoftheguttingmachinetheoffalis
directedtoarotatingfilterdrumforseparationsofwatertheretainedoffal,ispneumaticallypumpedtocontainers.

Figure9Layoutforskipjackcannery
b. Inspectorsexaminethefish,whileitpassesontheconveyor,toensurethatishasbeensatisfactorilycleaned.
c. Fishareautomaticallysizegradedtoassistinfeedtotherotorcookerandregulationofcookingtime.
d. Rotorycookersarefrequentlybuiltwithcounterflowanddischargebelts,andacapacityofapproximately1.3tonsper
hourwithvariablecookingtimesofupto2hours.
Thecookerisdividedinto16cellsintowhichthefishisfed.Thebottomofthecookerisseparatedbyaheavymesh
plate,andunderthisareplacedheatexchangersforindirectsteamheating.
Aftercookingthefisharetransportedonacontinuousbelttothecounterflowcooler(astainlessvesselwith
freshwatersupply)andthenontothecleaningstations.
e. Typicalcleaningarrangementsconsistof:
Oneworkingtableforcleaningthetunaaftercooling
Onerotatingtablefittedwithholders/cupsforloins
Onedischargeelevatorfortransportationofloinportionsfromtherotatingtabletothepackingmachine
Oneoffalconveyormontedbeneaththecleaningstationtocollectand"dischargeoffal.
Theoperationsareasfollows:
The1stoperatorremovesthefishfromtheconveyorandtransfersittoaworking.tablewheretheskinandthehead

areremoved.
The2ndoperatoropensthefish,removesthebackboneanddividesthefishinto4loins.Simultaneouslythemajority
ofdarkmeatisremovedandsingleloinsareplacedinthecupsontherotatingtable.
The3rdand4thoperatorscleantheloins,removingtheremainingdarkmeat.Thecleanedloinsarethenremoved
automaticallyfromtheircupstoarubberbeltconveyorwhichtransportsthemtoanoverlyingconveyor.
f. Theloinsthenpasstoanautomaticscaleforcontinuousweighingwhichmakesitpossibletomonitorproduction
yields.AfterweighingtheloinspasstoanIaccumulationstationpriortopassingtoapackshaperwhichpacksthe
loinsintocans.
Thefilledcanspasstoanoil/brinefillingmachinebeforethevacuumseamingmachine.
Descriptionofthesubsequentoperationsandtheireffectsonyieldaresimilartothosedescribedforcanningtunainbrine.

4.2.4Descriptionofcanningsardinesinoil
Themethodforcanningsardinesinoilisoftencalledtherawpackagingmethodwhichcontrastswiththemethodinwhich
thesardinesarethermallytreatedbeforepackingintocans.
Theprocessingplantrelatedtothedescriptionhasacapacityof15tonsrawfishper8hours.Theoverallyieldsis
approximately50%oftheweightofrawfish.SeeFigure10"Layoutforsardinesinoil,cannery"whichshowsaplantofthis
capacity.

Figure10Layoutforsardinesinoilcannery
Onetonofrawsardinesisrequiredtoproduce5200(5263)1/4clubcans,packedinto52casesof100canseachor5800
(5882)1/4dingleycanspackedinto58casesof100canseach.
Figure11shows"Flowsheetforcanningsardinesinoil".
Theoperationsafterthethawingofthefrozenfishoraftertransportingthefreshfishfromthechillstoreareasfollows:

1. Thesardinesaresizegradedbyanautomaticgradingmachinewhichselectssardinestosuitthesizeofcansusedin
theplant.
ThenumberofsardinespercanpermittedforvariouscantypesisgiveninTable8
Table8.Numberofsardinespercanpermitted*forvariouscantypes
Typeofcan

Numberofsardines
Minimum

Maximum

1/4dingley1layer

6sardines 12sardines

1/8

6sardines 12sardines

1/16oblong2layers 8sardines 14sardines

1/4club1layer

4sardines

8sardines

*Permittedby?
Thesmallestsizeofsardinesallowedforcanning(inNorway)is9.5cm.
2. Aftergrading,thesardinesaredischargedontoaconveyorfortransportationtothenobbingmachinewherethehead
andgutsofthefishareremoved.Onatypicalnobbingmachine,thefishareplacedoncontinuousbeltswithonefish
ineachcompartment.Thebeltfeedsthefishtoacuttingwheelwhichcutsthehead,andtogetherwiththeguts,draws
itawayfromthebodywithrollers.Ifnecessarythetailsarecutinthesameoperation.
Thepackersexaminethefishtoensurecompleteremovalofguts.Lossofweightduringnobbingis
approximately21%.
Nowadaystherearealsonobbingmachineswithgreatercapacity,servedbyfourormoreoperators,whichcan
completefollowingoperations:
Removalofthehead
Evisceration
Removalofthetail
Washingthefish
Packingthefishintocans
Theautomaticnobbing/packingmachinehasacapacityof3580cansperminuteandrequiresapproximately
50%ofthemanpowerrequiredbyatraditionalcanningline(Perovic,1983).

Figure11Flowsheetforcanningsardinesinoil
3. Afternobbingthesardinespassthroughawashingprocesstoremovebloodandsurfaceslime.Washingmachinesof
manytypesmaybeused.Washingshouldbewithpotablewaterorseawaterofsimilarquality.(Forcertainspecies
withhardandinediblescales,suchaspilchard,specialwashingmachinessuitableforremovingscalesareused).
4. Thesardinesarethentransported,usuallybyaconveyor,toabriningmachine.Thebriningcaneitherbeabatchora
continuousoperation.Thespeedoftheprocessandtheconcentrationofthebrinecanbecontrolled.Thefishare
loadedintothebriningunitinoneendwheretheyareimmersedinconcentratedsaltsolution,andthenscrewed
throughtheunitandsimultaneouslybrined.Thefisharethendischargedattheoppositeendoftheunit.
Saltisabsorbedbythefleshasaltcontentofabout12%offishweight,wheninboxesisacceptable.Thebrining
machineisequippedwithafiltertoscreenparticlesfromthebrine.
Inadditiontogivingtheproductthedesiredsaltcontent,brininghasotherbeneficialeffects.Theprocessbrightensthe
appearanceofthefishbyremovingremainingslimeandalsotoughenstheskinwhenunbrinedfisharecannedmuch
oftheskinadherestothecan.
Afterbrining,thefishareallowedtodrainbeforebeingtransportedtothepackingtable.
Thebrinemustbepreparedfromsaltwhichdoesnotcontainlargequantitiesofmagnesiumchloride,acommon
contaminantinunrefinedsalt.Thebrineshouldbereplacedregularlyasotherwiseitbecomesasourceof
contamination.

5. Afterthebriningprocessthesardinesarepacked(manuallyorautomatically)intoprewashedcans.
Amanuallyoperatedpackinglineisequippedwithconveyorbelts,thespeedofwhichcanbealteredinorderto
ensureasmoothsupplyofsardinesandcanstothepackers.Thefilledcansandwasteareremovedbytheconveyor
afterpacking.
Incommonsardinelinesthefilledcanspassoveraweightcontrolunittoacanalignerandthentoacanpusher,
whichautomaticallyfeedstheconveyortransferringthemtotheprecooker.
Changeofyieldduringthepackingprocessdependsonthequalityofrawmaterial,butonaverage5%lossofweight
isexpected.
6. Atypicalflashcookerforsardinesconsistsof2sections,oneforcooking(insteamatabout95C)andonefordrying
(inhotairatabout130C).Thecanswiththeopenendupwardsareautomaticallytransferredtocrates,whichare
hangingoncrossbarsmountedonacontinuouschainconveyorrunninginslingsupawardsintothecookingsection,
andintoslingsdownwardsinthedryingsection.
Betweenthetwosectionswaterisdrainedfromcansasthecratesareturnedthrough360aroundatumbler.The
heatinthecookingsectionisobtainedfromsupplyofdirectsteamwhiletheheatinthedryingsectionisindirectly
suppliedfromaheatexchanger.Afanlocatedonthetopofthesectioncirculatestheheatedair.Weightlossduring
thisoperationisapproximately25%.
7. Fromthecookerthecansareautomaticallytransferredontoaconveyorwhichtakesthentotheoildispenserandonto
theseamingmachinewheretheyaresealed.
8. Beforetheretortingprocessthecansarewashedtoremovefishresiduesandoilfromtheoutsideofthecontainers.
9. Furtheroperationsasforcanningtunainbrine.Seechapter4.2.2..
Table9Examplesofretortingtemperaturesandtimeforcanningsardines
Cantype

Temp.(C) Retortingtime(min)

1/4club

115116

55

1/4dingley

115116

65

4.2.5Descriptionofcanningpresmokedsardinesintomatosauceoroil
Mostoftheoperationsinthisprocessaresimilartothosedescribedforcanningsardinesinoil.
Thedescriptionisrelatedtoaplantcapacityof5tonsofrawfishper8hours.
Theyieldfromcanningofsardinesandotherpresmokedsmallfishesapproximatetheyieldsobtainedwhencanning
sardinesinoil.
SeeFigure12"Flowsheetforcanningpresmokedsmallfishintomatosauceandoil",andFigure13"Layoutforpre
smokedsmallfishcannery"whichshowsaplantofthecapacitymentionedabove.
Thevariousoperationsaredescribedbelow.
1. Gradingissimilartotheoperationdescribedforcaninesardinesinoil.
2. Briningissimilartotheoperationdescribedforcanningsardinesinoil.
3. Thefisharerodded,i.e,hungonrodsthroughtheeyes.Thisoperationcanbedoneautomaticallyormanually.
Theautomaticroddingbeingacomplicatedprocessisonlypractisedinlargeplants.Theroddedfishareplacedinto
frameswhicharefittedtothesmokingracks.
Theframeshaveusuallyaccommodatefor30rods,eachwith30fish.
4. Thefisharesmokedforapproximately1hourattemperaturesuptol30C.Themainpurposesofthesmokingisto
enhanceflavourandtolowerthewatercontentofthefish.
Usuallytunneltypesmokingkilnsareusedinwhichthereisacontrolledtemperaturegradientbetween30and125
130C.
Theairpassesthroughaheatexchangerwhilesmokeadded.Thesmokeisproducedbyasmokegeneratorusing
sawdustfromhardwoods(oakorsimilar).Lossduringsmokingisapproximately25%.
5. Aftersmokingthebodiesofthefishareseparatedfromtheheadswithanautomaticcuttingmachine.Theheadsare
thenremovedfromtherodswithanautomaticrodstrippingmachine.Lossofweightduringthedeheadingoperationis
approximately1012%.
6. Thepacking,thefillingofsauceoroilandthedoubleseamingoperationsaresimilartothosedescribedforcanning
sardinesinoil.
Whenpreparingtomatosauce,pureeofgoodqualitymustbeusedandtothisisaddedoliveoilorfishoil,etc.
Typicalmixturescompriseonepartoilandtwopartstomatopuree(20%concentration).
7. Allsubsequentoperationsaresimilartothosedescribedforcanningsardinesinoil.

4.2.6Descriptionofcanningfishpasteproducts
Thedescriptionisrelatedtoafishpastecanningplantwithacapacityofl0tonswholerawfishper8hours.Theproduction
isbasedoneitherdeheaded,guttedfishwithanaverageweightof1.5kgorsmallerindustrialfish.SeeFigure14"Layoutfor
fishpasteproductscannery"whichshowsaplantofthecapacitymentionedabove.
Overallyieldwhenmanufacturingcannedfishpasteproductsdependsonspeciesinvolved,however,approximately4565%
ofrawfishweightcouldbeusedforplanningpurposes.
Theoutputfromaplantproducingmeatballsisapproximately25000/850mlcansper8hoursalternatively8000/850ml
cansoffishcakesor15000/850mlcansofmeatballscouldbeproduced.

Figure12Flowsheetforcanningpresmokedsmallfishintomatosauceandoil
TheflowsheetforcanningfishpasteproductsisshowninFigure15.
Thevariousprocessingoperationsaresummarisedasfollows.
Therawmaterialhastogothroughagrinding/choppingandmincingprocess.
1. Thefisharewashed,descaledwhennecessary,evisceratedanddeheaded.
2. Accordingtoskinthicknessandsize,thefishwillhavetobesplitintohalvesfromheadtotailalongthebackbone.
3. Thesplitandopenedfisharewashedandcleaned.
4. Thewashedsplitfishisseparatedinameatboneseparator.Accordingtothetypeoffishonewillgetanacceptable
mincedproduct,andoffal,bonesandskin.
5. Iftheminceisunacceptable,(i.e.,discolouredbecauseofbloodetc.),itmaybenecessarytohaveitwashedandthen
dewateredbymeansofascrewpress
6. Themincedfishismixedinabowlchopperormincerwiththeotheringredients.itisimportanttoaddthesaltfirstand
toallowthemincertoworkforafewminutesbeforeaddingtheremainingingredientstothemixture.
Thiswillimprovethebindingpropertiesofthefish.SeeFigure16"Processinglineforfishmeat".

Figure13Layoutforpresmokedsmallfishcannery.

Figure14Layoutforfishpasteproductscannery.

Figure15Flowsheetforcanningfishpasteproduct.

7. Starch,spicesand,ifnecessary,onions,fat,etc.,areadded.
8. Liquidmilkisaddedandaccordingtothetypeofmincer,itwilltake1012minforthematerialstoreachasoftand
formableconditions.
9. Thefishballscanbeformedinmachines,byhandwithspoon,orbyhandsonly,anddroppedintoa11/2%solutions
ofsaltwateratapproximately90C.
10. Aftercookinginthesaltsolutionforapproximately58minthefishballsarefilledintocans.
11. Hotbrineorfishbouillonisadded.
12. Afterseamingtheproductgoesimmediatelytoretorting.

Figure16Processinglineforfishmeat

Figure17Layoutforsalmoncannery
SeveralalternativesforretortingtemperaturesandtimesareshowninTable10.

Table10Examplesofretortingtemperaturesandtimesforcannedfishpasteproducts
Alternative

Initialproducttemp.(C)

Preheating

Heating

temp.(C) time temp.(C) time

(min)
(min)
Fishmeatballsinbrine/bouillon
850ml(99x119mm)cans

20

105

20

120

15

II

20

105

20

115

40

20

108

20

120

13

II

20

108

20

115

35

30

100

30

120

25

425ml(99x63mm)cans

Fishcakesinbrine/bouillon

850ml(99x119mm)cans

I
450ml(99x63mm),cans
I

30

100

30

120

20

Furtherdescriptionsareasforcanningtunainbrine.

4.2.7Descriptionofcanningsalmon
Thedescriptionisrelatedtoaprocessingplantwithacapacityof8tonsofrawfishper8hoursthiscapacityhasbeenbased
onusingwholefishweighing4kgeach.SeeFigure17"layoutforsalmoncannery".
Theoverallyieldwhencanningsalmonisbetween55to60%,dependingonthesizeofthefish.Withayieldof55%,1ton
ofrawsalmonwillgive3400
(3437)225g(1/2pound)cans.
Theprocessingoperationsaredescribedbelow.SeeFigure18"Flowsheetforcanningsalmon"
1. Thefisharetransportedtoasortingtableandsortedbyspecies.
2. Thesalmonareevisceratedwithanironchinkmachinewhichremovesthehead,finsandviscerafromthesalmon
(seeFigure19).Thelossofweightisapproximately3540%
3. Theeviscerated,deheadedfishisnextconveyedtotheslimingtable.Slimingconsistsofremovingfins,visceraand
blood,etc.notremovedbythebucheringmachine.Duringtheslimingoperationthefishisthroughlywashed.Theloss
ofweightisapproximately35%.

Figure18.Flowsheetforcanningsalmon.
4. Fromtheslimingtablethecleanedfishisconveyedtoafishcutterfittedwithrevolvingsknifeswhichcutthefishinto
slices.Theslicesarethen.fedintoanautomaticfillingmachine.Thelossofweightisapproximately0.51.0%.
5. Thefillingmachinefillsthecanswiththesalmonafterwhichsaltisadded.
6. ThefilledcanspassthroughanautomaticscalewhichsortsforunderWeightcans.
7. Fromthescalethecanspassintoavacuumseamingmachine.

8. Thefilledandsealedcansarethendischargedfromtheseamingmachinethroughacanwasher.
9. Afterseamingtheproductgoesimmediatelytoretorting.Retortingconditionsofapproximately115Cfor100minare
usedfor450mlcans.
10. Furtherdescriptionsareasforcanningtunainbrine.

4.2.8Descriptionofcanningshrimps
Headless,peeledshrimpsaregradedaccordingtonumberofshrimpsper100gofdrainedproduct.SeeTable11(Codex
Stan371981).

1.HEADERKNIFE
2.FISHINPOSITIONFORHEADING
3.BULLRINGWHICHCARRIESFISHTHROUGHTHEMACHINE
4.BACKPINCERS
5.TAILPINCERSADVANCEDANDGRASPINGFISH
6.TAILCUAOFFSAW
7.BELLYFINNINGKNIFE
8.BACKPINCERSADVANCEDANDGRASPINGFISH
9.BACKFINNINGKNIFE
10.BELLYSLITTINGSAW
11.GUIDETOOPENBELLYFLAPSFORGUTTINGREEL
12.GUTTINGREELTOREMOVEVICERA
13.KNIFEANDREELTOSLITKIDNEYMEMBRANEANDTOREMOVEKIDNEY
14.BRUSHTOREMOVEBLOODANDMEMBRANES
15.ROLLERTOSUPPORTBULLRING
16.FISHRELEASEDASBACKANDTAILPINCERSRETRACT
17.CONVEYORTOREMOVEBUTCHEREDFISH

Figure19Ironchinkfordressingsalmon
Table11Numberofshrimpper100gofdrainedproduct
SizeDesignation

Conventional

Cleaned

Extralargeorjumbo

lessthan12.3

lessthan13.4

Large

12.3to17.7inclusive

19.4to19.1inclusive

Medium

morethan19.1butnotmorethan31.8 morethan19.1butnotmorethan34.6

Small

morethan31.8butnotmorethan60

morethan34.6butnotmorethan65.3

Tinyorminuscular

morethan60.0

morethan65.3

Figure20Layoutforshrimpcannery
Itisusualtocanonlythoseshrimpwhichfallinthemediumtoverysmallsizerange.
Thedescriptionisbasedonaprocessingplantcapacityof3.6tonsrawshrimpper8hours.Thiscorrespondstoproduction
of1200014000cans,eachcontaining75gshrimp,in8hours.
Theoverallyieldfromcanningshrimpisbetween25to30%ofrawweight.SeeFigure20"Layoutforshrimpcannery"
whichshowsaplantofthecapacitymentionedabove.Thedescriptionisbasedonusingicedrawshrimpastheraw
material.Theshrimpsareusuallygradedbeforedeliverytothecannery.SeeFigure21"Flowsheetforcanningshrimps".
Theoperationsinthecanningprocessaresummarizedbelow:
a. Onarrivalatthecannery,iceisremovedbeforewashingtheshrimps.
b. Theshrimpsarethroughlywashedwhilebeingconveyedintotheplant.
c. Afterwashingtheshrimpsareinspectedandforeigndebrisremoved.
d. Theshrimpsarethenconveyedtoapeelingmachine,whichseparatestheshellsandheadsfromthebody.This
operationcanalsobedonemanually.Aproximately46%ofthetotalweightislostduringthisprocess.
e. Afterpeeling,theshrimpspassthroughtoawasteseparator,whichremovesfragmentsleftafterpeeling.
f. Thecleanedshrimpsareloadedintobasketsandplacedintoaboilingsaltsolutionforcooking.Averagesalt
concentrationinthesolutionis1113%.Thecookingtimevariesfrom610minutesdependingonthesizeofthe
shrimps.
g. Aftercookingtheshrimpsareinspectedandanybrokenonesand/orpiecesareremoved.Theshrimpsarethendried
byfans.
h. Theshrimpsareweighedandhandfilledintocans.Theweightoftheshrimps.shouldbe64%ofthecontentofthe
can.Aluminiumcansarepreferablyusedforshrimpcanning,howeveriftinplatecansareused,layersofparchment
papershouldbeplacedbetweentheshrimpsandthecantopreventcorrosion.Hotorcoldbrineisfilledintothecans.

Table12Exampleofmixtureforbrine
Salt

2kg

Sugar

1kg

Citricacid 0.9l
Water

100l

i. Thecansareautomaticallyclosedandtransferredtoretortsforprocessing.

Figure21Flowsheetforcanningshrimp
Table13Examplesofretortingtemperaturesandtimesforcanningshrimp
Alternatives PreheatingConditions ProcessingConditions

I
II

temp.
(C)

time
(min)

temp.
(C)

time
(min)

104

50

116

22

108

60

j. Furtheroperationsareasforcanningtunainbrine