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least stress effect on the living. Dredging and trolling methods cause environmental
effects that destroy the seabed. This strenuous activity leads mussels to exhausting
and to death (Lopes Da Costa 2018).
Transport and storage are the most stressful stage for bivalves. Transport is carried out by wet, semi-dry or dry methods. Since wet tanks need to be ventilated and
this process is expensive, dry transport can be applied. Bivalves can stay in a place
outside the water without losing quality. However, the quality of the end product
may be affected according to the duration of the bivalves under conditions other
than their natural environment. In addition to the lack of oxygen during dry transport and storage, there is also a hazard exposing of bivalve to drying. Drying also
reduces the effectiveness of the respiratory system (Lopes Da Costa 2018).
Mussels have high degree of perishability. They are very sensitive for postharvest handling. Shellfish deteriorate more quickly than fish because they contain
a larger amount of amino acids, on the other hand, mussels harvested from contaminated waters can be heavily contaminated with bacteria, and thirdly, mussels are
bulky when their shells are not opened, so they are laborious and expensive to transport (Legaspi 1979). Quality of mussels means total number of microorganisms,
absence of pathogen, virus, toxin, heavy metal and parasite and presence of good
sensory properties. Deterioration of seafood usually occurs in two ways, autolysis,
and bacterial degradation. Autolysis occurs after the breakdown of tissue components by enzymes present in the tissues of seafood. This breakdown causes significant changes in the odour, flavour, and texture of the product. Bacterial degradation
follows autolysis.
3.1.1.3 Post-harvest Handling of Mussels
Post-harvest handling of mussels is more difficult than that of fish, not only
because of its higher degree of perishability, but also because of adverse effects
of its habitat. Due to their high perishability, various studies have been conducted to keep mussels alive longer or to increase shelf life. For this purpose,
various processing and preservation techniques have been developed.
On the other hand, to minimize adverse effects of their habitat and the health
risks, the water quality in shellfish-growing environments should be monitored. The
quality, value and safety of molluscan shellfish can be compromised by pollution of
marine environments. In terms of public health, the growing area of mussels should
be “approved”. Shellfish-growing areas may be classified as ‘approved’ if the area
is not contaminated with faecal material, pathogenic microorganisms, poisonous or
deleterious substances, to the extent that consumption of the shellfish might be hazardous (Su and Liu 2014). Marketing and distribution problems are brought about
by the bulky nature of shellfish, particularly if they are to be marketed with shell on.
Modern processing technology makes it possible to process fish and shellfish in
such a manner by which the above-mentioned problems are minimized, if not completely solved. Other fish processing methods, like pickling, drying, smoking, can3 Molluscan Shellfish
least stress effect on the living. Dredging and trolling methods cause environmental
effects that destroy the seabed. This strenuous activity leads mussels to exhausting
and to death (Lopes Da Costa 2018).
Transport and storage are the most stressful stage for bivalves. Transport is carried out by wet, semi-dry or dry methods. Since wet tanks need to be ventilated and
this process is expensive, dry transport can be applied. Bivalves can stay in a place
outside the water without losing quality. However, the quality of the end product
may be affected according to the duration of the bivalves under conditions other
than their natural environment. In addition to the lack of oxygen during dry transport and storage, there is also a hazard exposing of bivalve to drying. Drying also
reduces the effectiveness of the respiratory system (Lopes Da Costa 2018).
Mussels have high degree of perishability. They are very sensitive for postharvest handling. Shellfish deteriorate more quickly than fish because they contain
a larger amount of amino acids, on the other hand, mussels harvested from contaminated waters can be heavily contaminated with bacteria, and thirdly, mussels are
bulky when their shells are not opened, so they are laborious and expensive to transport (Legaspi 1979). Quality of mussels means total number of microorganisms,
absence of pathogen, virus, toxin, heavy metal and parasite and presence of good
sensory properties. Deterioration of seafood usually occurs in two ways, autolysis,
and bacterial degradation. Autolysis occurs after the breakdown of tissue components by enzymes present in the tissues of seafood. This breakdown causes significant changes in the odour, flavour, and texture of the product. Bacterial degradation
follows autolysis.
3.1.1.3 Post-harvest Handling of Mussels
Post-harvest handling of mussels is more difficult than that of fish, not only
because of its higher degree of perishability, but also because of adverse effects
of its habitat. Due to their high perishability, various studies have been conducted to keep mussels alive longer or to increase shelf life. For this purpose,
various processing and preservation techniques have been developed.
On the other hand, to minimize adverse effects of their habitat and the health
risks, the water quality in shellfish-growing environments should be monitored. The
quality, value and safety of molluscan shellfish can be compromised by pollution of
marine environments. In terms of public health, the growing area of mussels should
be “approved”. Shellfish-growing areas may be classified as ‘approved’ if the area
is not contaminated with faecal material, pathogenic microorganisms, poisonous or
deleterious substances, to the extent that consumption of the shellfish might be hazardous (Su and Liu 2014). Marketing and distribution problems are brought about
by the bulky nature of shellfish, particularly if they are to be marketed with shell on.
Modern processing technology makes it possible to process fish and shellfish in
such a manner by which the above-mentioned problems are minimized, if not completely solved. Other fish processing methods, like pickling, drying, smoking, can3 Molluscan Shellfish