Whole fish products formed from pre-rigor fish flesh

摘要

A fish product is produced from fish flesh that has not been subject to rigor mortis. Live fish are gutted and the meat separated from the bones as soon as possible thereafter. The fish flesh is separated from the de-gutted fish to form a flesh fraction and a residue compriing mainly skin and bones. The fish flesh is solubilised immediately by communition in a sodium chloride solution while in the early pre-rigor state. The solubilised fish flesh is then dried to form a powder. The residue fraction is dried separately. The dry meat powder and the residue powder are reconstituted with water and mixed in various combinations to make fish products comprising whole fish. This process minimises the formation of acto-myosin during rigor mortis that reduces binding properties of the fish materials when they are used in downstream fish products. A factory vessel may be used to transport live fish from the sea and onto the boat within a flow of sea water during trawling or seining. This keeps the fish in their natural environment with minimal stress and takes them directly to the processing equipment.