A wide variety of fish-baked products from curries to biryanis, fortified soups, fish sausages and fish noodles can be produced and stored in ready-to-eat form in such containers The research and production came in with the demand from the export markets for a range of fish-based diets in thermal-processed packs.
"The consumers demand innovative and convenience foods of high quality, taste and appearance that requires minimum preparation time. Thermal processing helps in achieving long-term shelf stability to fish products," stated T K Srinivasa Gopal, scientist, CIFT.
"We have developed safe and high-quality fish products at affordable prices to the consumers. Processing is done mainly in cans, retortable pouches and thermo-formed containers. The materials of these containers can withstand thermal processing temperatures and provide superior barrier properties for a longer shelf life at ambient storage temperatures," he added.
The retortable pouches have a added advantage over cans since the thin profile of containers provide faster heat transfer during thermal processing and thereby help in improvement of taste, colour and flavour.
In thermo-formed containers processed products have better consumer appeal. With the development of twin-processed products, the staple food of the region can be packed and the product will have very good acceptability in the defence sector. These containers have the added advantage that food can consumed directly from its pack, stated the CIFT scientist.
Further, products like condiment-incorporated dried and fried fish, prawns and chutney powders, fish wafers, and soup powders can also be easily prepared and consumed.
Fishery by-products like incorporated dried and fried fish, prawns, and chutney powders, fish wafers, and soup powder can be easily prepared and consumed. Fish with cereal-based extruded products is also an important snack for the people on the move in hilly terrains, inaccessible rocky regions and on the high seas. Fishery by-products like chitosan, glucosamine hydrochloride, squalene, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) can be used as health supplements in the encapsulated forms, he stated during a presentation made at the Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore.
