Mild heat treatment of oysters in their natural shell

摘要

A method of preparing raw oyster meat in the shell is disclosed which employs a mild heat treatment followed by chilling for the destruction of harmful pathogenic bacteria such as Vibrio vulnificus. The oysters are captured and transported to the processing plant in a refrigerated state. The oysters are then cleaned and graded into categories according the product size. The oysters are then placed into a continuous flow of sterilized water at a sufficient temperature and duration to kill the pathogens yet leave the meat in a raw state within the shell. Different temperatures and time durations have been found to give excellent results depending on the size of the oyster. It has been found that the internal temperature of the oysters, that is, the meat within the shell, must reach a minimum of 49 degrees centigrade and not exceed 53 degrees centigrade for maximum efficacy. Depending on oyster weight and warm water temperature, the oysters will be immersed from between about 10-45 minutes. The oysters are then removed from the heated water flow and are placed in a sterilized cold water bath or air convection cooler. At this point the treated oysters are ready for shucking using standard mechanical methods. The oysters remain in a raw state and in the shell throughout the process, prior to shucking. The shucking provides a treated, raw oyster meat free from harmful bacteria. The treated, raw oyster meat may be packed and stored by conventional structure. The pathogenic bacteria are reduced to an undetectable level in the oyster meat by this process. This process may be employed with any shellfish.