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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
N. Gökoğlu, Shellfish Processing and Preservation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60303-8_5
Chapter 5
Shellfish Safety
5.1 Introduction
Safe food is a food substance that is physically, chemically, and microbiologically
suitable for consumption and has not lost its nutritional value. Safe food is food that
does not pose a health hazard to the consumer.
A biological, chemical, or physical agent or condition that has the potential to
have a negative health effect for the consumer is defined as a hazard. The estimated
size of the hazard that is likely to occur is also defined as the risk.
Bacteria, viruses, parasites and naturally occurring toxins can cause foodborne
diseases in fresh and processed shellfish. Shellfish also can be contaminated by
substances or organisms introduced into the environment through animal and human
pollution or agricultural runoff. Other factors that can increase the risk of illness
include environmental conditions in the growing waters, harvesting methods, processing operations, and handling during marketing. Many molluscan shellfish (primarily oysters and mussels) are eaten raw or with minimal heating. This is a major
concern to national and international health agencies because bacteria in these products have caused food-borne illnesses and deaths (Flick Jr and Granata 2010).
Shellfish can concentrate contaminants in their tissues and become unsafe to eat.
Shellfish contaminants fall into three categories: bacteria and viruses, marine biotoxins, and chemicals. Shellfish-associated hazards can be broadly grouped as environmental, intrinsic, and process-related, categorizes hazards associated with
various shellfish products, in the order of decreasing risk. Shellfish items, which are
consumed raw without any cooking, are the most hazardous, while products consumed soon after thorough heat processing pose minimum microbial hazards
(Venugopal and Gopakumar 2017).
Bivalve molluscs are fed microscopic size particles from the water by filtering.
This filter feeding mechanism can cause public health concern in relation to the pollutants in the waters pumped by bivalves with a relatively large amount. Particulate
ingestion is the manner which shellfish concentrate viruses and bacteria from the
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
N. Gökoğlu, Shellfish Processing and Preservation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60303-8_5
Chapter 5
Shellfish Safety
5.1 Introduction
Safe food is a food substance that is physically, chemically, and microbiologically
suitable for consumption and has not lost its nutritional value. Safe food is food that
does not pose a health hazard to the consumer.
A biological, chemical, or physical agent or condition that has the potential to
have a negative health effect for the consumer is defined as a hazard. The estimated
size of the hazard that is likely to occur is also defined as the risk.
Bacteria, viruses, parasites and naturally occurring toxins can cause foodborne
diseases in fresh and processed shellfish. Shellfish also can be contaminated by
substances or organisms introduced into the environment through animal and human
pollution or agricultural runoff. Other factors that can increase the risk of illness
include environmental conditions in the growing waters, harvesting methods, processing operations, and handling during marketing. Many molluscan shellfish (primarily oysters and mussels) are eaten raw or with minimal heating. This is a major
concern to national and international health agencies because bacteria in these products have caused food-borne illnesses and deaths (Flick Jr and Granata 2010).
Shellfish can concentrate contaminants in their tissues and become unsafe to eat.
Shellfish contaminants fall into three categories: bacteria and viruses, marine biotoxins, and chemicals. Shellfish-associated hazards can be broadly grouped as environmental, intrinsic, and process-related, categorizes hazards associated with
various shellfish products, in the order of decreasing risk. Shellfish items, which are
consumed raw without any cooking, are the most hazardous, while products consumed soon after thorough heat processing pose minimum microbial hazards
(Venugopal and Gopakumar 2017).
Bivalve molluscs are fed microscopic size particles from the water by filtering.
This filter feeding mechanism can cause public health concern in relation to the pollutants in the waters pumped by bivalves with a relatively large amount. Particulate
ingestion is the manner which shellfish concentrate viruses and bacteria from the