141
ning, bottling, or converting shellfish into powder, have also partially solved the
problem of marketing and distribution (Legaspi 1979).
To maintain post-harvest quality in shellfish and limit the growth of human
pathogens, prolonged exposure to high temperatures should be avoided. Shellfish
harvested for raw consumption need to be cooled to 10 °C within a certain time to
control the growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus or Vibrio vulnificus.
Keeping and Processing Mussels Alive
In terms of quality and safety, it is best to transport mussels alive. Bivalve species
such as oysters, mussels, and hard-shell clams can survive for extended periods out
of water and can be traded for human consumption as live animals. Mussels will be
exposed to some level of stress during all or part of the trade chain. Capture, declumping, fluctuating temperatures, sunlight and other bright lights, wind or drafts,
handling and physical damage, poor water quality during holding, conditioning and
purification are factors causing the stress. Mussels are generally able to recover
from such stresses, however if any or a combination of those stresses are sufficiently
intense, then poor quality (broken shells, gaping, unpleasant smell) or dead mussels
will result. Thus, transport systems need to ensure mussels are held in conditions
that keep stress to a minimum (Barrento et al. 2013). Particular supply chains may
differ from harvest to point of sale, although the following procedures are generally
typical: rope grown mussels are removed from long lines and are washed, and declumped from each other and fouling organisms, before being “graded” according
to size. Depending on the bacterial loading of the original water body and national
legislation, mussels may also be “depurated” (immersed in clean seawater, for up to
42 h, to pro-mote removal of bacteria), and then de-byssed. Onward transportation
may be up to 48 h duration. On arrival, mussels can be sold immediately, maintained
in cold, damp storage, or immersed again (“re-watered” or “re-conditioned”) to
improve quality prior to sale (Barrento and Powell 2016).
Shellstock shellfish should be transported in clean storage bins with effective
drainage and be shipped on pallets in a truck that is properly maintained to prevent
contamination, deterioration, and decomposition. If the mussels are pre-chilled in
the refrigerator, or if the ambient temperature and travel time are sufficient to allow
the growth of bacteria and the degradation of mussels, they should be transported in
trucks with a refrigeration system equipped with an automatic temperature control
capable of maintaining the air temperature at 7.2 °C or less. Any ice used in the
transportation of shellfish should be made on-site from potable water in a commercial ice machine. All containers used to transport shellstock shellfish should be constructed from safe materials and allow for easy cleaning. They should be cleaned
with potable water, detergents, and sanitizers after use (Su and Liu 2014).
3.1 Bivalves
ning, bottling, or converting shellfish into powder, have also partially solved the
problem of marketing and distribution (Legaspi 1979).
To maintain post-harvest quality in shellfish and limit the growth of human
pathogens, prolonged exposure to high temperatures should be avoided. Shellfish
harvested for raw consumption need to be cooled to 10 °C within a certain time to
control the growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus or Vibrio vulnificus.
Keeping and Processing Mussels Alive
In terms of quality and safety, it is best to transport mussels alive. Bivalve species
such as oysters, mussels, and hard-shell clams can survive for extended periods out
of water and can be traded for human consumption as live animals. Mussels will be
exposed to some level of stress during all or part of the trade chain. Capture, declumping, fluctuating temperatures, sunlight and other bright lights, wind or drafts,
handling and physical damage, poor water quality during holding, conditioning and
purification are factors causing the stress. Mussels are generally able to recover
from such stresses, however if any or a combination of those stresses are sufficiently
intense, then poor quality (broken shells, gaping, unpleasant smell) or dead mussels
will result. Thus, transport systems need to ensure mussels are held in conditions
that keep stress to a minimum (Barrento et al. 2013). Particular supply chains may
differ from harvest to point of sale, although the following procedures are generally
typical: rope grown mussels are removed from long lines and are washed, and declumped from each other and fouling organisms, before being “graded” according
to size. Depending on the bacterial loading of the original water body and national
legislation, mussels may also be “depurated” (immersed in clean seawater, for up to
42 h, to pro-mote removal of bacteria), and then de-byssed. Onward transportation
may be up to 48 h duration. On arrival, mussels can be sold immediately, maintained
in cold, damp storage, or immersed again (“re-watered” or “re-conditioned”) to
improve quality prior to sale (Barrento and Powell 2016).
Shellstock shellfish should be transported in clean storage bins with effective
drainage and be shipped on pallets in a truck that is properly maintained to prevent
contamination, deterioration, and decomposition. If the mussels are pre-chilled in
the refrigerator, or if the ambient temperature and travel time are sufficient to allow
the growth of bacteria and the degradation of mussels, they should be transported in
trucks with a refrigeration system equipped with an automatic temperature control
capable of maintaining the air temperature at 7.2 °C or less. Any ice used in the
transportation of shellfish should be made on-site from potable water in a commercial ice machine. All containers used to transport shellstock shellfish should be constructed from safe materials and allow for easy cleaning. They should be cleaned
with potable water, detergents, and sanitizers after use (Su and Liu 2014).
3.1 Bivalves