Food Safety, Quality Control and Value Added Products to Improve Market Share for Chinese Tilapia

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Food Safety, Quality Control and Value Added
Products to Improve Market Share for Chinese
Tilapia

• Kevin Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.
• Sec. Tres. American Tilapia Association
• Past President World Aquaculture Society
• Professor, University of Arizona
• CHINA
• Asia-Pacific Chapter of WAS
• 13 November, 2007

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Overview

• Global perspective
• US and EU markets for tilapia products
• Processing and packaging changes
• New products
• Demands on farmers
• Future trends

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Tilapia aquaculture

• Second most important farmed fish after the carps
• Most widely grown of any farmed fish
• Asian countries are major producers and consumers

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Tilapia the Green farmed fish

• Herbivore / omnivore, low trophic level feeder
• Algae, bacteria, and detritus (bioflocs) are
  important food sources
• Prepared feeds are mostly grains and ag
  by-products
• Promoted by aid agencies and NGOs
• Dr. M. Gupta awarded World Food Prize for
  promotion of tilapia aquaculture, June 10, 2005
• Disease resistant and tolerant of poor water
  quality. Anti-biotics and chemicals are not
  needed for commercial farming.

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Global production of tilapia
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Top Ten Seafoods (U.S.)per capita (lbs)
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US Tilapia consumption (imports and
domestic)229,000 mt of live weight (equivalent)
- 2004 306,410 mt of live weight (equivalent)
2005368,295 mt of live weight (equivalent) 2006
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US Consumption of tilapia from domestic and
imported sources
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23,101 mt fresh fillets, 74,381 mt frozen
fillets, 60,772 mt whole frozen (2006)
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241,205,610 (2003) 297,413,000 (2004)
392,978,298 (2005) 482,742,515 (2006)
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Tilapia (May 25, 2005 Madrid Daily)

• Europe is following US trend of adopting tilapia
  as replacement for traditional fishes

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Tilapia (June 2007, Tesco, UK)

• 18 US per kg whole fish!!!!

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Begin quality control on the farm

• Reduce or eliminate use of drugs and chemicals
• Consider alternatives to methyltestosterone
• Use high quality feeds, proper ratio of protein,
  carbohydrates and fat (minimize fatty deposits)
• No contaminates in feed
• Maintain water quality, avoid polluted water
• Control algae blooms and off-flavor

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Depuration stage

• Check fish for off-flavor at the farm
• Move to depuration system, good quality water, no
  feed, clear fish of off-flavor
• Depuration system can be on-farm or at processing
  plant
• Check for off-flavor at processing plant
• Check for off-flavor at end of processing

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Transport to processing plant

• Best to transport live
• May want to add salt to reduce stress and
  maintain quality

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ISO 9100 and ISO 22000

• ISO 9100 provides for certification of Hazard
  Analysis at Critical Control Points
• Covers product safety, plant and food hygiene,
  economic integrity, and product quality.
• ISO 22000, food safety management system, applies
  to all kinds of food processors linked to CODEX
  Alimentatius

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HACCP

• Hazard Analysis at Critical Control Points
• Planning procedure for documenting good
  production and processing practices
• Participants operate under approved plan with
  audits at random frequency
• Focus is on documentation of proper activities at
  important stages rather than stationing a
  permanent inspector at farm or processing plant.
• Greater focus on critical processing steps.
• More cost effective

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HACCP

• Examples
• Document feed source and use, farm water quality,
  testing for off-flavor
• Document source, arrival time, temperature and
  condition of fish as they arrive at process plant
• Provide footbaths, hand washes and protective
  clothing for processing workers, document usage
  by having employees sign daily log
• Measure and record bacterial numbers on fillets
  during quality control

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HACCP

• First step is to write the plan
• Second step is plan review by authorities
• Third step is to train all employees in HACCP
  plan procedures and documentation
• Fourth step is to operate plant according to the
  approved plan
• Fifth step is to maintain paperwork documenting
  all stages until inspection

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High quality fresh and frozen fillets

• Hand trimming of fillets
• Buyers are requesting better trim of margins of
  fillets for more consistent appearance

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Many fillets are treated with carbon
monoxide(CO, also called liquid smoke)

• CO infuses into fillet and reacts with myoglobin
• Fillet maintains fresh appearance for longer
  period

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Carbon monoxide - CO

• Especially common at Chinese processors
• Initially CO infusion in bags, then moved to
  cabinets, now retort vessels

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Carbon monoxide - CO

• Rapidly improving the technique, and providing
  safety to workers
• Must be labeled as an additive in US and EU

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Demands on farmers and processors

• Demand for even more food safety, high quality,
  organic or green tilapia products.
• - Reduce or eliminate use of
  methyl-testosterone hormone.
• - No anti-biotics or other chemicals
• - Reduce environmental impacts
• - More integrated, re-use water for farming
  crops
• - Re-use processing waste products
• More value-added tilapia products
• More demand for all forms, especially frozen
  meals
• Rapidly increasing demand from Europe

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Improved quality controlRequired for US, EU,
and Japan markets

• Samples checked for bacterial and chemical
  contamination
• Follow HACCP procedures and EU guidelines
• Many plants are using ozone dips to reduce
  surface bacteria

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Why did tilapia avoid the restrictions on Chinese
farmed seafoods???

• Hardy fish that rarely needs anti-biotics or
  chemicals
• Proactive training of farmers and processors
• Importers demanding clean product
• Consumers expecting green fish

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Meeting buyer specifications

• Identify buyers before stocking fish
• Have agreements on size, quantity, quality,
  packaging, shipping, price, and finance terms
• Be aware that processor, importer, wholesaler,
  retailer, and consumer demands are constantly
  increasing.
• Prices do not increase although costs do

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Gaining NGO certifications

• NaturLand
• World Wildlife Fund
• Aquaculture Certification Council
• Each reviewing sustainability of aquaculture
  practices and providing a certification and
  marketing logo

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Improvements in packaging
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IQF Fillets in re-sealable packages
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Tilapia Orange Juice
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Environmental Issues Byproducts - Tilapia Leather
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Pathways in the use of tilapia as biomanipulator
in shrimp farms
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Current Global Market Trends

• Increase in demand for all forms of tilapia
• Demand increase will be greatest for frozen
  fillets
• Demand increase will be significant for fresh
  fillets
• High profit margin for prepared meals assembled
  and packaged in developing countries

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Global Tilapia Market Trends

• Prices have been constant, only fresh fillets
  have increased slightly, will not see increases
  with inflation

/kg
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Global Aquaculture Tilapia Sales

• For year 2000 US 1,744,045000 (FAO FishStat
  2007)
• 2005 sales 2,457,312,000(FAO FishStat 2007)
• 2010 sales gt 5,000,000,000

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Future global tilapia aquaculture
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Conclusions

• Need to meet stricter food safety, quality, and
  environmental criteria
• More demands for food safety, quality assurance,
  improved packaging, and environmental safeguards
  (with little if any increase in price)
• ISO, HACCP and NGO certifications

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Eighth International Symposium on Tilapia in
Aquaculture12-14 October, 2008Cairo
International Conference Center