How tuna loses
its color
Carbon Monoxide
treated Tuna retains the bright red color of
raw meat. As Tuna eaters love to eat it raw
as Sashmi, the freshness of the fish is very
necessary. An indication of freshness is the
bright red color. This is caused by oxygenated
muscle pigments.
The live fish
has myoglobin, which is the muscle pigment that
carried oxygen to the working muscles when the
fish is alive. Once cutup the oxygen comes into
contact with myoglobin in the exposed Tuna meat.
The absorption of oxygen and its reaction with
the myoglobin, forms a bright red pigment. This
gives Tuna the attractive bright red color.
But with continued exposure to oxygen, the red
color changes to brown. This is due to conversion
of the oxymyoglobin to a brown pigment.
Why treat
tuna with CO
Exporters, in
order to retain the desirable red color treat
the fresh, chilled or thawed out frozen Tuna
cuts with CO. There are no direct health implications
if you eat CO treated Tuna.
Tuna, was once
a seasonal delicacy. But it is now available
all the year round. This is mainly due to the
expansion of the global seafood trade. So the
exporters find it necessary to reach it to consumers
looking fresh. Therefore the necessity for CO
tuna.
CO prevents Tuna
meat from discoloration. CO is also a component
of wood smoke. Processors in Southeast Asia
bring CO Tuna to the US markets which amounts
to around 25 million pounds.
CO treated Tuna
allows suppliers to sell high quality flash
frozen fish, that looks good enough to eat.
Tuna sales have definitely gone up since they
are being treated with CO. What is most important
is that people love the color of this fish.
The Food and
Drug Administration has stated that eating CO
tuna is harmless. Most sushi bars and supermarkets
have started keeping this product since it first
came into existence in 1990.
CO Tuna is bright
red when first defrosted but fades in a few
days to watermelon pink. Most consumers around
the world feel that the red flesh of Tuna shows
freshness and quality.
CO Tuna is
safe
CO treatment
is an advanced food safety measure that keeps
in mind the requirements of the market. As fresh
Tuna spoils, CO Tuna comes to consumers in a
high quality frozen state. It can be transported
safely, thawed when needed and retains its fresh
look. The truth of the matter being, that by
the time Tuna makes it to the American super
market, it could be 30 days out of the water.
So it is much more healthy to have CO Tuna as
long as the raw material is good and the treatment
is controlled.
There are other
ways to control Tuna from browning. One is ultra
low temperature freezing which can keep Tuna
at 80 degrees below zero for months without
browning. But maintaining such low temperature
becomes a very expensive process. Therefore
CO Tuna is safe and retains it freshness and
good quality.
For price
quotes and any further information, feel free
to call us today at:
Siam
Canadian Foods Co., Ltd.
9th Floor, Suite 283/44, Home Place Office Building.
283 Thonglor 13, Sukhumvit 55
Kongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110,
THAILAND
Call us at +66-2-185-3311
Fax: +66-2-185-3317
Email us at info@siamcanadian.com
