Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre CRC Project 2007700

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An Evaluation of Australian Oyster Supply Chains
to Optimise Food Safety and Quality Tom
Madigan South Australian Research and Development
Institute
Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre
(CRC) Project 2007/700
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Background

• Changes to 2005 AQIS Export Orders
• All oysters transported at lt5ºC
• Seafood Services Australia study on drivers for
  this change
• Marine vibrios identified as only pathogen likely
  to be impacted by temperature

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Background

• Vibrios are naturally occurring marine bacteria
• Cause severe intestinal illness and in some
  populations are fatal
• Commonly found in raw seafood, especially oysters
• Isolated from Australian seafood
• Cause of increasing detention in international
  trade

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(No Transcript)
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Background

• The Seafood Services project resulted in two main
  recommendations
• 1. Profile Australian oyster supply chains
• 2. Use this data to develop a predictive model
• Coincided with the formation of the CRC Oyster
  Consortium

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Background

• Progressed in two stages
• 1. Profiling Australian oyster supply chains
• 2. Developing predictive growth models
• Todays presentation focuses on
• - Reviewing current supply practices
• - Developing real temperature profiles
• - Use of temperature loggers
• - Future directions

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Current Supply Practices
Review

• Targeted survey developed and sent to the
  majority of growers in NSW, Tas SA

• 120 responses
• Highlighted differences between areas

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Current Supply Practices
Note Not all respondents answered all questions
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Temperature Profiles
Developing real temperature profiles

• Data collected in collaboration with growers
• Related information recorded
• Placed in oyster bags or boxes prior to transport
• Temperature logged every 20 minutes
• Collected by processor/retailer and returned

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SA to Qld
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SA to WA
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SA to Victoria
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SA to Qld
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SA to Victoria
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Tasmania to NSW
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Tasmania to Qld
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Profiling Summary

• Majority of issues thus far quality related
• Highlights usefulness of temperature profiling
• Allows control over product once it enters the
  transport chain
• Provides information for negotiation with
  transport companies

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Profiling Method
Temperature profiling method used

• ibutton temperature loggers
• Cost effective, robust and water resistant
• Collect data for up to 1 month
• Must notify customer
• Dont advise freight company
• Record critical points in chain

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Future Directions

• Continued cool chain profiling
• Collect micro samples to complement profiles
• Any intervention steps
• Temperature profiles used in predictive models of
  vibrio growth in live oysters
• Predictive tool for use in export

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Summary

• Background to the project
• Survey of Australian oyster supply chains
• Real temperature profiles
• Practicalities of using data loggers
• Future directions of the projects

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A New Direction

• Recent submission of PhD proposal to the CRC
• Quality, shelf-life and value-adding of
  Australian Oysters
• Project does not have any safety aspects.
• Aims to identify quality attributes and evaluate
  potential value adding techniques.

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Quality Indicators

• The initial stage will identify quality
  attributes of shucked oysters.
• Combined approach
• Sensory
• Chemical
• Microbiological
• Identification of quality indicators
• Evaluation of current processors

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Value Adding

• Differing freezing technologies evaluated
• Cryogenic freezing
• Cells alive system (CAS)
• Modified atmosphere packaging
• - Differing gas mixtures
• - Vacuum packaging
• - Additional food ingredients
• High pressure processing

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This work formed part of a project of the
Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre
and received funds from the Australian
Governments CRCs Programme, the Fisheries RD
Corporation and other CRC Participants.
AND Clear Water Marine Farms, Marine Scale
Pilchard Fishermens Association and Southland
Fish Supplies
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SA to Cairns
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Controlled Temperature

• Develop a spoilage profile
• Oysters were stored at 8 and 15 degrees until
  organoleptically spoiled
• Sydney Rock and Pacific oysters
• Total viable counts and counts of typical seafood
  spoilage organisms
• Current processing techniques will be evaluated
  to assess degradation of quality.
• Pre-developed indicators will be used to assess
  this is in three large processors.

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Pacific Oysters
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Sydney Rock Oysters