Producedby:FisheriesandAquaculture

Department
Title:Planningandengineeringdata.2.FishCanning...

Moredetails

2.RAWMATERIALS
2.1FishandOtherMarineFoods
2.2FishHandling
2.3IngredientsandAdditives
2.4PackagingMaterials

2.1FishandOtherMarineFoods
Manytypesoffish,andothermarinefoodsaresuitableforcanning,thesizeoftheindividualfishvaryingfromthatofthe
smallestsardinestothatofthelargesttunaspecies.Forsomespeciesliketunaandsardinescanningisthemostimportant
processingmethod.Otherspecies,suitableforcanningaresalmon,mackerel,herring,clams,oysters,shrimps,octopus,
crabandwhitefishpasteproducts.
TheCodexAlimentariusCommissionrecommendsthefollowingspeciesofTuna,Bonito,SalmonandShrimpstobe
canned:
CannedTunaandBonito(CODEXSTAN701981)
Thunnusalalunga

Euthynnusaffinis

Thunnusalbacares

Euthynnusalletteratus

Thunnusatlanticus

Euthunnuslineatus

Thunnusobesus

Euthynnuspelamis(syn:Katsuwonuspelamis)

Thunnusthynnusmaccoyii Sardachiliensis
Thunnusthynnusorientalis

Sardaorientalis

Thunnusthynnusthynnus

SardaSarda

Thunnustongoll

Sardavelox

CannedSardines(CODEXSTAN941981)
Sardinapilchardus(Walbaum)

Sardinopsmelanosticta

Sardinellaaurita

Sardinopsneopilchardus

Sardinellaanchovia

Sardinopsocellata

Sardinellabrasiliensisor

SardinopsSagaxorSardinopscaerulea Sardinellamaderensis

Clupeaharengus

Hyperlophusvittatus

Clupeaantipodum

Nematolosavlaminghi

Clupeabassensisor

Etrumeusmicrops

Clupeafuegensis

Ethmidiummaculatus

Sprattussprattus

Engraulisanchoita

(Clupeasprattus)

Engraulisringens

CannedPacificSalmon(CAC/RS31969.Rev.1)
Oncorhynchusnerka

Oncorhynchusgorbuscha

Oncorhynchuskisutch

Oncorhynchusketa

Oncorhynchustschawytscha Oncorhynchusmasou

Speciesofthefamilies
Penaeidae

Crangonidaeand

Pandalidae Palaemonidae

Avarietyofproductscanbemadeusingmincedfishasmainrawmaterial.
Unutilizedorunderutilizedspecies(socalledtrashfish)withanutritionalvaluecomparabletothatofvaluedfoodspeciescan
beanexcellentsourceofrawmaterial.
Toplanthehandlingandprocessingoffishandtomanageproblemsconnectedwithalloperationsfromtransportand
processingthroughstorage,itisessentialtoknowthephysicalandchemicalpropertiesofthespeciesinvolvedthese
propertiesincludeshapeandsize.thermalconductivity,chemicalcompositionoffishandconditionsregardingpostmortem
changes.SeeTable4.

Table4Variouspartsofthefishexpressedinpercentageoftotalweightandtotalfishweightpercubicmetre,forsome
importantspeciesusedincanning
Species

Percentageoftotalweight

ton/m

Head Skin&flesh Bones Fins Viscera

Atlanticherring

12.5

62.2

6.5

1.5

15.0

0.91

Sardines

21.0

58.0

6.5

2.5

9.5

0.85

Atlanticmackerel

22.5

52.0

8.0

1.0

19.5

0.96

Tuna

18.0

64.0

8.0

2.0

8.0

Pinksalmon

16.0

71.01/

5.0

8.0

0.95

1/Includingbonesandgonads

2.2fishhandling
2.2.1General
InformationaboutfishhandlingpriortocanningisgivenindetailinPlanningandEngineeringData,FreshFishHandling,
FAOFish.Circ.735.Inthiscontextthesedataareofmostvaluewheretheyconcernoperationsofspecialimportancefor
canning.

2.2.2Fishhandlingonboard
Afterwashing,therawmaterialshouldbechilledassoonaspossible,andkeptchilleduntilunloading.Dependingonthe
typeoffishingvesselthecatchcanbeicedinboxes,containers,orshallowbins.
Inpractice,however,methodsforhandlingfishonboardvaryfromdoinglittleornothing,tochillingorfreezing,dependingon
thetypeofvessels,areaofcatchingandfishspecies.
Withlargefishliketunathemostcommonmethodofhandlingonboardsmallervesselsiswashingandchillingwithwater
and/orice.Largervesselsareequippedwithtanksinwhichthefishischilled.Thesetanksareeitherchilledseawater
(CSW)tanksorrefrigeratedseawater(RSW)tanks.TheCSWtanksarechilledwithice,andtheRSWtanksarechilled
byrefrigeration.Airblastandbrinefreezingmethodsarealsocommonlyused.Formoredetailsconcerningfreezing
methods,see"FreezinginFisheries".FAOFisheriesTechnicalPaperno.167.
SmallerspeciesarechilledinCSWorRSWtanks,andwheninsmallquantities,icedinboxes.
Industrialspeciesintendedformincingmustbehandled(aswithanyhighvaluedfoodfish)accordingtogoodhandling
practice.Thefishmustbewashed,andiftherawmaterialisbycatchfrombottomtrawling,allmud,sand,etc.mustbe
rinsedaway.Ifpossible,thefishmustbesorted,butinsomeareasthisisdifficultasthecatchconsistsofseveralspecies,
eachinsmallquantities.

2.2.3Unloadingfishingvessels
Caremustbetakenduringunloadingandhandlinginordertoavoidbruisedfishand/orskinabrasions.Allhoughsystemsfor
unloadingandhandlingfishdependonvariousfactors,themostcommonmethodsareasfollows:
i. Freshfishishumpedfromthefishholdthroughscalesorvolumemeasuringequipmenttorollingconveyorsforfurther
transport,ordirectlytotanks,bins,etc.
ii. Freshorfrozenfishisloadedintobasketsorcases,heavedtothequay,byeitherelectricaldockhoistsorbyuseof
thevessel'sownwinch.andthentippedintocontainers,beforetransport,orintobinsbeforeguttingortransport.
Whenthefishisicedintoboxes,Jorcontainers.onboard.itisunloadedinasimilarway.Whentheboxesarestacked
onpalletstheentirepalletloadisheavedup.
iii. FishkeptinCSWorRSWtanksisheavedfromthefishtankbyuseofnets.Fishinbulkmayalsounloadedthisway.
iv. Aconveyorsystemmaybeusedforunloadingfreshandfrozenfish.

2.2.4Fishhandlingonland
Theprocessesandprinciplesinvolvedinpreparingfreshfishforcanningare,forthemostpart,similartothosethatwouldbe
involvedinpreparingthemformarketingasfreshfish.ThereforethegeneralinstructionsdescribedintheRecommended
InternationalCodeofPracticeshouldbeusedasaguideforthehandlingandpreparationoffreshfishforcanning
(CAC/RCP91976andCAC/RCP101976).
Forinformationconcerningicing,CSW,RSW,chillstorage,containersforrawmaterials,materials,freezingandfrozen
storage,readersarereferredtoplanningandEngineeringDataIFreshFishhandling,FAO,Fish.Circ.735,andfreezingin
Fisheries,FAOFisheries""'TechnicalPaperno.167".
Ifthefishconsistsofindustrialspecies,andsortingisnotpractical,therawmaterialcanbestoredincontainersandmixed
withiceuntiluse.Ifpossible,thefishshouldbekeptinthesameboxesorcontainers,withoutemptyingandreicing,asthis
willbethebestmeansofmaintainingquality.sometimeshoweverthisisnotpossible,especiallyincaseswherethe
fishermenwanttheircatchesweighedimmediatelyafterlanding.Thelessthehandlingoftheicedandboxed/containerized
rawmaterial,thelongerwillqualitybemaintained.
Itisnotrecommendedtofreezefishwhichistobeusedasamincedrawmaterial.
Frozenfishcanbethawedbyimmersioninchilledwater(temperaturesabove15Carenotadvisable),watersprayingorair
currentexposure.Thawingoffrozenfishisanimportantstepincannedfishmanufacture.Forlargerspecies,liketuna,
thawingupto12hoursormoreisnotunusual.Asthawingofthefishisprogressive,smallerspecies,andexteriorpartsof
largerspeciesmayreachthedesiredstateofthawwhiletheinnerpartsoflargerspeciesremainfrozen.
Deteriorationoffreshfish,especiallywholeunevisceratedtuna,israpidattemperaturessufficienttohastenthawing.The
qualityofthefreshtunabeginstodiminishbeforethelastthawedportionshavebecomeunfrozen.

2.3IngredientsandAdditives
2.3.1Qualityrequirementsforwater
Allwateravailableforuseinthosepartsofanestablishmentwherefishandshellfisharereceived,kept,processed,

packagedandstoredshouldbepotablewaterorcleanseawaterandshouldbesuppliedatpressureofnolessthan1.4
kg/cm.
Anadequatesupplyofhotwaterofpotablequalityataminimumtemperatureof82Cshouldbeavailableatalltimesduring
theplantoperation(CAC/RCP91976).
Thecoldwatersupplyusedforcleaningpurposesshouldbefittedwithaninlinechlorinationsystemallowingtheresidual
chlorinecontentofthewatertobevariedatwillinordertoreducemultiplicationofmicroorganismsandpreventthebuildup
offishodours.
Waterusedforwashingorconveyingrawmaterialsshouldnotberecirculatedunlessitisrestoredtoalevelofpotable
quality.
Nonpotablewatermaybeusedforsuchpurposesasproducingsteam,coolingheat.exchangersandfireprotection.Itis
veryimportantthatbothsystemsofstorageanddistributionofpotableandnonpotablewaterareentirelyseparateandthere
isnopossibilityforcrosscontaminationorforinadvertentusageofnonpotablewaterinthefishorshellfishprocessing
areas.Onlypotablewatershouldbeusedforthesupplyofhotwater.Thesamerequirementsfortheseparationofsystems
wouldapplytocleanseawaterwhenitisusedintheprocessingoffish(CAC/RCP91976).

2.3.2Qualityrequirementsforotheringredientsandadditives
Saltusedformakingbrineorotherpurposesshouldbepureandnotcontainappreciablequantitiesofmagnesiumchloride,a
commoncontaminantofunrefinedsalt.Ifthesaltcontainstoomuchmagnesiumchloridetheriskofstruviteformation
increasesthismayconcernconsumersasstruvitecanformcrystalsresemblingglassinthecannedfish.
Saltshouldcomplywiththe"CodexAlimentariusSpecificationsforFoodGradeSalt"(beingdevelopedbytheCodex
CommitteeonFoodAdditives).
Oliveoilintendedforcanninghastobeoneofthetwofollowingcategories(ResearchLaboratoryoftheNorwegianCanning
Industry):
i. Virginoliveoilproducedbymechanicalprocesses,or:
ii. Oliveoilproducedbyblendingofvirginoliveoilwithchemicallyrefinedvirginoliveoilwhichisproducedfrompure
virginoliveoil.
OliveoilintendedforcanningNorwegiansardinesmaybeblendedtoamaximumof35%withchemicallyrefinedoil.For
cannedfishotherthanNorwegiansardines,chemicallyrefinedvirginoilassuchisacceptedinadditiontotheoliveoil
specified.
Oliveoilshouldbeextractedfromsoundolives,withoutanyadmixtureofotheroils(fat).Further,theoilmustbefreefrom
anyadmixtureofrefinedsolventextractedoliveoil.Syntheticoliveoilisstrictlyforbidden.
Theoilshallbeclear,freefrommucilage,mouldorotherimpurities.Theoilshallalsobefreefrommoisture.
Thecolouroftheoilshallbeyellowtogoldenwithonlyaslighttingeofgreen.
Odourandtasteoftheoilshallbepure,goodandnatural,notacrid,bitterortoostrong.
Theoilmustberesistanttocold.
Soyabeanoilshouldbefreefromforeignandrancidodourandtaste.Colouradditivesarepermittedforthepurposeof
restoringnaturalcolourlostinprocessingorforthepurposeofstandardizingcolour,aslongastheaddedcolourdoesnot
deceiveormisleadtheconsumerbyconcealingdamageorinferiorityorbymakingtheproductappeartobeofgreaterthan
actualvalue.
Maximumlevelofuseisnotlimitedforsuchadditives.
Naturalflavoursandtheiridenticalsyntheticequivalents,exceptthosewhichareknowntorepresentatoxichazard,and
othersyntheticflavoursapprovedbytheCodexAlimentariusCommission,arepermittediftheyfullfillthelimitations
mentionedinthetextabove.
Otheradditivesasantioxidants,antioxidantsynergistsandcrystallizationinhibitorsarepermittedinsoyabeanoil.
Tomatosauceshouldbemadefromsoundrawmaterialswithoutanydecompositionbymould,yeastorbacteria.The
cannedtomatosauceshouldnotcontainmicrobeswhichcandevelopatanormalstoragetemperature.Thecolourshould
bered,evenwithafainttingeofyellow,butneverbrownish.Odourandtasteshouldbepureandnatural.Thetomatosauce
shouldbeheterogeneousandnotcontaintoomuchseedsorskin.
Thetotalsolidsshallnotexceed30%(Trippleconcentratedtomatosaucesarenotbepermitted).Thecontentofsugarisnot
permittedtobereducedbelow40%of.thetotalamountofsolids.
Thetomatosaucemustnotcontainanyextraneousmatters(suchascarrotsetc.).Artificiallycolouringoranykindof
preservatives,exceptsaltarenotpermitted.(ResearchLaboratoryoftheNorwegianCanningIndustry).
Examplesofotheringredientsandadditivesusedinthecanningprocessare:
Pepper(Pipernigruml.)
Cardemon(Elletriacardamomum)
Ginger(Zingiberofficinaleroscae)
Onion(Alliumcepaalliumascalonicum)
Spiritvinegar(Solutioncontainingvinegaracid,CH3COOH,concentratefrom4to12%)
Groundmustardseed(Brassicaspecies)
Currypowder
Starch(potatoesflour)
MonoSodiumGlutamate(MSG)
Stabilizingagentsassodiumalginateandgumtragacanth
Milk
Sugar
Wine
Beer
Theingredientsshouldbesuitableforhumanconsumptionandbefreefromabnormaltaste,flavourandodour.

2.4PackagingMaterials
Themostcommonmaterialusedformanufacturingcontainersforfishproductsaretinplate,aluminiumandlacqueredsteel

plate(TFS).Flexiblepackagingasanalternativetometalcanshasbecomemorecommonduringthelastyearsandglass
jarsaresometimesusedforspecialitypacks.

2.4.1Tinplate
Tinplateissteelsheetcoatedwithathinlayeroftinoneachsurface.Becauseofitsstrengthandrigiditytinplateformsan
idealmaterialforfoodcontainers.Inadditiontothebenefitsofitsbrightappearanceandeaseofsoldering,themajor
functionofthetinlayeristoprotectthebasesteelfromcorrosion.Mechanicalpropertiessuchasstrength,stiffness,etc.,are
controlledinthemanufacturingprocesstosuitthespecificationsofthecanmaker.Minimumthicknessoftinplateforcan
makingis0.15mm(Palling,1980).Themainfactorsofimportancearechemicalcompositionandphysicalpropertiesofthe
baseplate,thicknessoftincoating,applicationofprotectivecoatingsandrelativecorrosivityoftheproductwhichistobe
canned.
Lowcarbonsteelisusedforcanmanufacture.Thechemicalcompositionofthebasesteelplateisofprimaryimportancein
obtainingadequateservicelifeforcorrosive,productsthemostcriticalelementisphosphorus,butotherelementssuchas
coppernickel,chromiumandsiliconmayalsoaffectthecorrosionresistanceoftheplate.'Twobasictypesofstell(Land
MR)areusedfordifferentfoodproductsandathirdtype(D)isusedforunusualdrawingoperations.Forlowacidproducts,
suchasfishthesteeltypehasnoimportantinfluenceoncorrosionandanyoftheavailabletypesmaybeused,nevertheless
MRsteelisusuallyrequired.Originallytinplatecoatingweightspecificationswereexpressedintermsofthe"basebox"
whichwasanindustrymeasure.Tinplatewassoldinonlyonesizesheet(356x508mm),andbundled112sheetstoa
package.Thetotalareaofplateinsuchapackage(20.22m2)cametobeknownasabasebox,theweightofwhichvaried
withthethicknessofthesteel(Ellis,1979).
Formerly,tinplatewasmadebyimmersingsheetsof"black"plateinmoltentin(hencethisplatewasknownashotdipplate)
.Nowadayselectrolyticplatingtechniquesareusedtoapplytintothebasesteelplate.Thismethodpermitsthinnertin
coatings(0.38to2.03microns)oneachsideoftheplatesurface.Theelectrolytictinningprocesspermitsalsoaclosecontrol
overdepositionofthetincoatinglayer.Themostcommoncoatingweightsare0.25,0.50,0.75and1.00lbperbasebox
whichcorrespondsto5.6,11.2,16.8and22.4g/m,respectively(whenconsideringbothplatesurfaces).Inthemetric
systemcoatingweightisexpressedastheweightoftinoneachsurface.Thusatotaltincoatingweightof5.6g/mislisted
as2.8/2.8g/m(Ellis1979),whichsignifiesthatoneachsurfacethetincoatingweightis2.8g/m.Differentiallycoatedtin
platehasdifferenttincoatingweightsoneachsurfacetheheaviercoatingusuallybeingontheinsideofthecontainer.

2.4.2Tinfreesteel(TFS)
Thetinfreesteelisoneofthenewercanmakingmaterials.Untinnedsteelonwhichverythinlayersofchromiumoxidehave
beenelectrodepositedisresistancetocorrosionanddiscolouration.Disadvantagesarethattheplatemustbe,coatedon
bothsidesandthatitcannotbesoldered.Itisprincipallyusedfortheendsofthecans.

2.4.3Aluminiumalloys
Aluminiumalloysarefindingincreasinguseinthecanmakingindustry.Advantagesofaluminiumincludethelightweightof
thematerialresistancetoatmosphericcorrosionandtosulfidebearingproducts(commonlyfoundinfishproducts)and
versatilityformakingcontainersbydifferentmethods.Disadvantagesincludedifficultiesinclosingthebodyseamby
solderingandthenecessityforheaviergaugeswhicharerequiredtoobtainstrengthcomparablewithtinplate.Sheetmade
withpurealuminiumhasmechanicalandphysicalpropertieswhichlimititsuseasacanmakingmaterial.Increasedstrength
isobtainedbyalloyingaluminiumwithoneormoreothermetalssuchmagnesiumandmanganese.Minimumthicknessof
aluminiumforuseinfishcansis0.28mm.

2.4.4Enamelcoatings
Enamelcoatingsareusedtoprotecttinplate,aluminiumalloysandTFS,Thecoatingscanbeappliedtosheetsandcoils
eitherbeforeandaftercansaremade.Insomecases,coatingsmakeitpossibletousemorelightlycoatedgradesoftin
plateortinfreesteel.Theenamelsorlacquerswereoriginallypreparedfrompolymerizedfishoilbuttodaylacquersare
madefromsyntheticmaterialswhichprovidebetterperformance.

2.4.5Retortablepouches
Retortablepouchesforthermoprocessedfoodasanalternativetometalcansandglassjarshavefoundincreaseduse
duringrecentyears.Thepouchesareheatsterilizedinretortsandthesterilitymaintainedbytheimpermeabilityofthe
materialandthehermeticsealsofthepouches.Characteristicsfortheiruseinclude(Lampi,1979)convenienceforeheating
byimmersioninboilingwater.rapidsterilizationastheflat.thincrosssectionofthepouchpermitsrapidheattransfertothe
contents.energyconservation.andspaceutilization.
Retortablepouchesaremadefromrigidorflexiblematerials.Rigidpouchesareconstructedwithhighdensitypolyethylene
(HDPE),whereasflexiblepouchesmaybemadefromalaminationwhichconsistsofanouterpolyesterply,analuminium
foil,astheprimarymaterial.andaninnerplywhichismadeofmodifiedpolyolefin(mediumtohighdensitypolyethylene
modifiedwithpolyisobutylene)orcastpolypropylene.Productsarebeingcommerciallypackedinafilmdescribedas12
micronspolyester,9micronsaluminiumoil,15micronsnylonand50micronspolypropylene,andprocessedattemperatures
upto135Cfortimesrangingfrom2.7to9minutes(Lampi,1979).

2.4.6Glass
Theprinciplesofprocessingwithglassaresubstantiallythesameasforcans,exceptthattherearesomemodifications
necessarybecauseofthesealingmechanismusedandthethermalcharacteristicsoftheglass.Aswithcans,glass
containersmustbehermeticallysealedthisisachievedbyusingametalclosureintowhichhasbeenplacedaplastisollining
compoundthatactsasasealantbetweentheglassandthemetalcap.
Glasscontainersareprocessedunderwaterinacounterbalancedretort.Thewaterpreventsthermalshockbreakageas
steamenterstheretortwhilethecounterbalancingairtransmitspressurethroughthewaterensuringthatatalltimesthe
pressureintheretortisgreaterthanthatinthesealedcontainer.
Asglassisresistanttoallfoodproductsnointernalsurfacetreatmentisrequired.Themetalclosureshowevermustbe
protectedfromcorrosionandforthisreasonareinternallyandexternallylacquered.
Table5Sizeof2piececansfordifferenttypesofthemostimportantfishproducts
Typeofcan

Material

Volume Length Width Height

ml
mm
mm
mm

Product

Netweight Fishweight
g
g

1/4dingley

aluminiumtinplate

112

105

76

21.5

sardines,smallfish

106

85

1/4club*

aluminiumtinplate

115

105

60

29

sardines,smallfish,tuna

125

95

1/2hansa*

aluminiumtinplate

200

148

81

26

herrings

195

130

1/2oblong

aluminiumtinplate

212

154.7

61

30

kippers

225

225

1/3oval

tinplate

200

149

81

25

mackerel

195

130

1/2oval

tinplate

270

149

81

25

mackerel

250

180

*NoblikkSannemA/Sstandards.
Table6Sizeof2and3piececansfordifferenttypesofthemostimportantfishproducts
Typeofcan

Material

Volume Diameter Height

ml
mm
mm

Product

Net
weight
g

Fish
weight
g

2pieceround

aluminium

225

90

40

shrimp

217

150

2pieceround

aluminium

115

78

32

shrimp

111

75

2piece1/2pound
round

aluminiumtin
plate

245

90

44

fishwithvegetables,herring,
tuna

230

2piece1poundround

tinplate

490

120

49

fishwithvegetables,herring,
tuna

460

3pieceround

tinplate

212

83.8

46

tuna

200

155

3pieceround

tinplate

400

99.5

60

tuna

377

292

3pieceround

tinplate

450

72

119

codroeinbrine

425

300

3pieceround

tinplate

450

101

64

fishcakes

400

260

3pieceround

tinplate

900

101

121

fishballs

800

520

3piece5kground

tinplate

4250

218

123

tuna,sardine

4000

3100

3piece10kground

tinplate

8500

218

245

tuna

8000

6200

*Dependsonamountofvegetables.

2.4.7Constructionofmetalcontainers
Metalcontainersarenormallydividedintotwogroups:
2piececans(square,ovalorround).
3piececanswithsolderedorweldedbody(square,ovalorround).
SpecificationsforthemostcommonmetalcontainersareshowninTables5and6.