Chairman/President
Presidente
| J.A. Race | ||
| Norwegian Food Control Authority | ||
| P.O. Boks 8187 Dep | ||
| 0034 OSLO | ||
| Norway | ||
| Telephone: | +47 22 246268 | |
| Fax.: | +47 22 246699 | |
| E-Mail:[email protected] | ||
AUSTRALIA/AUSTRALIE/AUSTRALIA
Mr. Steve Bailey
Principal Executive Officer
Processed and Imported Food
Inspection,
Australian Quarantine &
Inspection Service
GPO Box 858
Canberra, ACT, 2601
Telephone: +61-6-2724725
Fax.: +61-6-2723682
Mr. San Ng
Counsellor
Veterinary Services
Australian Mission to the EU
6-8 Rue Guimand
1040 Brussels
Belgium
Telephone: +32-2-2310500
Fax.: +32-2-2310753
E-Mail: [email protected].
BELGIUM/BELGIQUE/BELGICA
Dr. Wilfried Vyncke
Fisheries Research Station
Ankerstraat 1
B-8400 Oostende, Belgium
Telephone: +3259-320805
Fax.: +3259-330629
E-Mail:[email protected]
BRAZIL/BRESIL/BRASIL
Guliherme Antônio da Costa Junior
Ministério da Agricultura Edo Abastecimento
Esplanada dos Ministerios
EDF. Anexo “A”
Salas 445-A- Brasilia-DF
Telephone: +55-61-2182778/2182775
Fax.: +55-61-2269850
CANADA
Mr. John Emberley
(Head of Delegation)
Acting Assistant Deputy Minister
Industry Services
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E6
Telephone: +613 990 0144
Fax.: +613 993-4220
Mr. David Rideout
Director General
Inspection Directorate
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E6
Telephone: +613 990 0412
Fax.: +613 993 4220
Mr. Robert Mills
Technical Trade Coordinator
Inspection Directorate
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E6
Telephone: +613 990 5810
Fax.: +613 993 4220
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mr. Vance McEachern
Director, QMP and Intergovernmental Liaison
Inspection Directorate
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E6
Canada
Telephone: +613 993 6930
Fax.: +613 990-4668
Mr. Ralph Drew
Director, Technical Services
Canadian Fishing Company
Foot of Gore Avenue
Vancover, B. C. V6A 2Y7
Telephone: +604 681 0211
Fax.: +604 681 3277
E-Mail: [email protected]
Ms. Leesa Sereda
Audit and Procedures Officer
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Sensory and Technology Development
501 University Crescent
Winnipeg
Manitoba
Canada
Telephone: +204 983 5070
Fax.: +204 984 2107
CHILE/CHILI
Dr. Juan Rusque (PhD)
Director Nacional de Pesca
Teatinos 120
Santiago
Telephone: +56-2-6980543
Fax.: +56-2-6960784
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mrs. Ines Montalva
Jefe Depto. sanidad pesquera
Servicio Nacional de Pesca
Yungay 1731
Valparaiso
Telephone: +56-32-233367
Fax.: +56-32-259564
E-Mail: [email protected]
CHINA/CHINE
Mr. Wang Yinong
Xiamen Imp. & Exp. Commodity Inspection
Bureau of the People's Republic of China
No. 31 Dongdn linding Road
Xiamen
China
Telephone: 0592-601043
Fax.: 0592-6012175
Mr. Su Da Lu
Senior Engineer
Deputy Director
of the 1st Isp. Dept.
Zhejiang Import & Export Commodity
Inspection Bureau of the Peoples Republic of
China
8 Bao Shi Rd(2)
Hangzhou
Telephone: 0571 5157042
Fax.: 0571 5176900
CUBA
Ing. Doris Hernandez Torres
Analista Superior
Ministerio de la Industria Pesquera
Direccion de Aseguramiento
de la Calidad
5ta Ave y 248 Barlovento
Playa, C. Habana
Telephone: +21 73 44
Fax.: +33 62 95
DENMARK/DANEMARK/DINAMARCA
Lars Herborg
Head of Division
Danish Veterinary Service
Rolighedsvej 25
DK-1958 Frederiksberg C
Denmark
Telephone: +4531358100
Fax.: +4535361912
FINLAND/FINLANDE/FINLANDIA
Dr. Eeva Eklund
(Head of Delegation)
Head of the Biochemical Section
Finnish Customs Laboratory
Tekniikantie 13
02150 Espoo
Finland
Telephone: +358-0-6143243
Fax.: +358-0-463383
Ms. Pia Mäkelä
Veterinary Officer
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Box 232
00171 Helsinki
Finland
Telephone: +3580-0-160-3388
Fax.: +3580-0-160-3338
E-Mail: x.400c=fia=mailnetp=agrifin
mmmmakelapia
Ms. Marjatta Rahkio
Senior Control Officer
National Food Administration
Kaikuan 3
00531 Helsinki
Finland
Telephone: +358-0-77267615
Fax.: +358-0-77267666
E-Mail: marjatta.rahvero@ev. kuluthjatalo.fi
FRANCE/FRANCIA
Henri Loreal
Chef de délégation
IFREMER
rue de l'lle d'Yeu
BP 1105
44311 Nantes Cedex-03
Telephone: +33 40374152
Fax: +33 40374071
E-Mail: [email protected]
Christiane Bozzetto
Direction Générale de la Concurrence,
de la Consommation
et de la Répression des Fraudes
59 boulevard Vincent Auriol
75703 Paris Cedex 13
Telephone: +1-44-97-29-17
Fax: +1-44-97-30-39
Anne-Marie Vanelle
Direction Generale De L'Alimentation
Bureau de la Maitrise sanitaire de
l'aquaculture et des produits de la pêche
175 rue du Chevaleret
75646 Paris Cedex 13
Telephone: +1-49-55-84-21
Fax: +1-49-55-56-80
Francois Falconnet
Conféderation des Industries de
Traitement des produits des
Pêches Maritimes
44 rue d'Alésia
75682 Paris Cedex 14
Telephone: +33 1 53 91 44 64
Fax: +33 1 53 91 44 70
Sonia Litman
Confédération des Industries de Traitment des
Produits des
Pêches Maritimes
44 rue d'Alésia
75682 Paris Cedex 14
Telephone: +33 1 53 91 44 65
Fax: +33 1 53 91 44 70
GERMANY/ALLEMAGNE/ALEMANIA
Rita Lauterbach-Hemmann
Head of Delegation
Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and
Forestry
Rochusstr. 1
D-53123 Bonn
Telephone: (+228) 529-3416
Fax: +529-4410
Dr. Jorg Oehlenschl ager
Federal Research Centre for Fisheries
Palmaille 9
D-22767 Hamburg
Telephone: +4940 38905151
Fax: +4940 38905262
Dr. Reinhard Schubring
Federal Research Centre for Fisheries
Palmaille 9
D-22767 Hamburg
Telephone: +4940 38905181
Fax: +4940 38905262
Dr. Matthias Keller
Bundesverband der deutschen
Fischindustrie und des Fischgroβhandels
Groβe Elbstr. 133
D-22767 Hamburg
Telephone: +040 381811
Fax: +040 3898554
Dr. Lütje-Wilhelm Bahrs
Frozen Fish International
Postfach 290352
D-27533 Bremerhaven
Telephone: +49-471-132717
Fax: +49-471-132828
ICELAND/ISLANDE/ISLANDIA
Thordur Asgeirsson
Director of Fisheries
Directorate of Fisheries
Ingolfsstraeti 1
150 Reykjavik
Iceland
Telephone: +354 5697900
Fax: +354 5697991
INDIA/INDE
Dr. Y. S. Yadava
Fisheries Development Commissioner
Ministry of Agriculture
Government of India
Room No 242-C
Krishi Bhawan
New Dehli - 110 001
Telephone: +3386379 (011)
Fax: +3384030 (011)
Dr. V.S. Somvanshi
Director General
Fishery Survey of India
Govt. of India
Botawala Chambers
Sir P.M. Road
Bombay - 400 001
Telephone: 099(022)2617105, 2617144
Fax: 099(022)2617105
INDONESIA/INDONESIE
Mrs. Henny Andries Da Lopez
First Secretary to the Indonesian Embassy,
Indonesian Embassy
Inkognito gata No. 8
0258 Oslo 2, Norway
Telephone: +22 44 11 21
Fax: +22 55 34 44
Dr. Sumpeno Putro
Agricultural Attaché
Indonesian Mission to The European Union
Boulevard de la Woluwe 38
B-1200 Bruxelles, Belgium
Telephone: +32-2-779-0915
Fax: +32-2-772-8190
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
REPUBLIQUE ISLAMIQUE D'IRAN
REPUBLICA ISLAMIC DEL IRAN
Hamid Reza Shahmohammadi
General manager of fisheries industries
Ministry of Jehad-e-Sazandegi.
Fisheries Department
P.O. Box 14155-6411
Theran
Telephone: (021)645 3205-672019
Fax: (021)67 27 72-67 28 68
Mrs. Farideh Haghshenas
Expert of Food Industry
Institute of Standard and Industrial Research
(ISIRI)
P.O. Box 31385-163
Karaj
Telephone: 0261-26031-38
IRELAND/IRLANDE/IRLANDA
Mr. Michael O'Driscoll
Senior Fisheries Officer
Department of the Marine
Leeson Lane
Dublin 2
Telephone: 00 3531 6785666
Fax: 00 3531 6761306
ISRAEL
Dr. Singer Herbert
Head of the Veterinary Dept.
Ministry of Health
Food Control Administration
Haarbah st.no. 14
Tel Aviv
Telephone: +972-3-5634843
Fax: +972-3-5625769
JAPAN/JAPON
Hiroshi Umeda D.V.M.
Section Chief
Veterinary Sanitation Division
Environmental Health Bureau
Ministry of Health and Welfare
1-2-2 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo
100 Japan
Telephone: +81.3.3503.1711 (Ex. 2478)
Fax: +81.3.3503.7964
Masao Shimizu
Chief, Utilization and Processing Section
Office of Fisheries
Processing Industry
Fisheries Agency
Ministry of Agriculture
Forestry and Fisheries
1-2-1 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-Ku
Tokyo
Telephone: +81 3 3502 8111
ex. 7125
Fax: +81 3 3591 6869
Dr. Emiko Okazaki
Senior Researcher
Food Processing and
Preservation Division
National Research Institute of Fisheries
Science
2-12-4 Fukuura,
Kanazawa-Ku
Yokohama
236 Japan
Telephone: +81-45-788-7665
Fax: +81-45-788-5001
E-Mail: [email protected]
Yoji Isaka
Standard Specialist
Standards and Marketing Bureau
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
1-2-1 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-Ku
Tokyo
Telephone: +03 3502 8111
Fax: +03 3502 0438
Mitsukuni Mori, PhD
Technical Advisor
Director, Research Laboratory
Japan Canners Association
240, Kariba-cho,
Hodogaya-ku,
Yokohama,
Zip Code 240
Telephone: +045-712-3221
Fax: +045-712-0028
Naoki Takatori
Manager,
Inspection Department
Japan Frozen Foods Inspection
Cooporation
Shuwa No. 2 Shiba Park Bldg.
2-12-7 Shiba Daimon
Minato-Ku
Tokyo 105
Telephone: +03-3438-1411
Fax: +03-3438-1980
MOROCCO/MAROC/MARRUECOS
Fatima Aboukal
Directrice Generale Societe Export Poissons
Divers
Avenue El Moukaouama
Q.I. Agadir
Telephone: +(08) 822065
Fax: +(08) 824953
Dr. Youssef Biquech
Etablissement Autonome de Controle et de
coordination des Exportations Delegation
Regionale D'Agadir
B.P. 1710 Port d'Agadir
Telephone: +(08)843777, (08)822109,
(02)305104
Fax: +(08)842916, (02)302565
Dr. Hassan Tagafait
Etablissement Autonome de Controle et de
Coordination des Exportations
72, Rue Med Smiha
Casablanca
Telephone: +30 51 04
Fax: +30 25 67
Mr. Jouker Ahmed
Ministere des Peches Maritimes et de La
Marine Marchande
Direction des Peches Maritimes et de
L'Aquaculture
Chef de Service des Cultures Marines
Rabat
Telephone: +77 01 44 54
Fax: +77 85 40
MEXICO/MEXIQUE
Lourdes Montiel Mancisidor
Deputy Director of Fishery Industry Promotion
Under Secretariat of Fishery
Secretariat of Environment
Natural Resources and Fishery
Lateral Anillo Periférico Sur # 4209
5° piso
Col. Jardines en la Montana
Mexico 14050 D.F.
MOZAMBIQUE
Luisa Arthur
(Head of Delegation)
Fish Inspection Dept. Head
National Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 1723
Maputo
Mozambique
Telephone: +258(1) 431266
Fax: +258(1) 420335
E-Mail: [email protected]
Augusto Nhampule
Direccao Nacional de Pescas
Servico de Pescas da Zambezia
P.O. Box 413
Quelimane-Zambezia
Mozambique
Telephone: +258-4-214208
NETHERLANDS/PAYS-BAS
PAISES BAJOS
Mrs. Astrid Bijster
Head of Delegation
Staff-office quality and
product safety
Ministry of Agriculture
Nature Management and Fisheries
Fisheries Department
P. O. Box 20401
2500 EK The Hague
Telephone: +31-70-3792848
Fax: +31-70-3825648
E-Mail: [email protected]
Dr. D.G. Groothuis
General Inspectorate
for Health Protection
P.O. Box 5840
2280 HV Rijswijk
Telephone: +31-70-340-6927
Fax: +31-70-340-5435
Mrs. Janita Aanen
Staff-officer
Ministry of Health
Welfare and Sports
Directorate for Public Health
P.O. Box 5406
2280 HK Rijswijk
Telephone: +31-70-340 6872
Fax: +31-70-340.5177
NEW ZEALAND/NOUVELLE-ZELANDE
NUEVA ZELANDIA
Judy Barker
National Manager Fish
(Head of Delegation)
Ministry of Agriculture
P.O. Box 2526
Wellington
Telephone: +64-4744100
Fax: +64-4744239
E-Mail: [email protected]
Marie McDonald
Quality Manager
Southfish Co-operative Limited
P.O. Box 143
Bluff
New Zealand
Telephone: +64 3 212 8726
Fax: +64 3 212 8267
E-Mail: [email protected]
NORWAY/NORVEGE/NORUEGA
Geir Valset
Head of Delegation
Chief Inspector
Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 185
N-5002 Bergen
Telephone: +47 55 238000
Fax: +47 55 238090
Bjarne Aalvik
Director General
Department of Aquaculture
Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 185
N-5002 Bergen
Gunnar Tertnes
Advisor
Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 185
N-5002 Bergen
Knut-Roger Sivertsen
Specialist Executive Officer
Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 185
N-5002 Bergen
Norway
Terje Sœbø
Senior Sectional Engineer
Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 185
N-5002 Bergen
Norway
Liv Christie Barratt
Head of Section
Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 185
N-5002 Bergen
Helge Torbjørn Hove
Head of Section
Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 185
N-5002 Bergen
Kåre Julshamn
Head of Research
Institute of Nutrition
Directorate of Fisheries
P.O. Box 185
N-5002 Bergen
Per Henrik Prante
Institute Manager
Research and Development Department
NORCONSERV
Alex Kiellandsgt. 2
P.O. Box 327
N-4001 Stavanger
Telephone: +47 51 529044
Fax: +47 51 536444
Nils Berg
Head of Quality Control
Frionor AS
P.O. Box 195
N-1324 Lysaker
Norway
Telephone: +47 67 123010
Fax: +47 67 121680
Johan Morland
Chief of Production
Nestle Norge AS
Kvalfjordveien 1
N-9600 Hammerfest
Norway
Telephone: +47 78412411
Fax: +47 78413884
Birgit Aarønœs
Senior Executive Officer
Ministry of Fisheries
P.O. 8118 Dep.
øvre Slottsgt. 2
0032 OSLO
Telephone: +47 22 246477
Fax: +47 22 34 95 85
E-Mail: [email protected]
PHILIPPINES/PHILIPPINES
FILIPINHA
Ms. Cristina R. Nugui
Officer-in-Charge
Senior Aquaculturist
Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources
860 Quezon Ave.
Quezon City
Philippines
Telephone: +632 973617
Fax: +632 967790
POLAND/POLOGNE/POLONIA
Mrs. Jolanta Hillar
Sea Fisheries Institute
Chief of Quality and
Standardization Section
Dept. of Fish Processing and Mechanization
1, Kollataja Street
81-332 Gdynia
Poland
Telephone: +48 58 205211 or
+48 58 201728 ext. 156
Fax: +48 58 202831
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mrs. Lidia Kacalska Bienkowska
Main Specialist
Ministry of Transport and
Marine Economy
4/6 Chalubinskiego Street
00-928 Warsaw
Telephone: +48 22 300948
Fax: +48 22 300918
RUSSIAN FEDERATION/FEDERATION DE
RUSSIE/FEDERACION DE RUSIA
Mrs. Svetlana N. Rusanova
Chief of the Scientific and Technical
Department of Committee of Fisheries of
Russian Federation
12 Rozhdestvensky Bul.
Moscow, 103031
Telephone: +(095)921-82-97
Mrs. Nina V. Tchoupakhina
Chief of the Laboratory of Fish and Fishery
Products Standard
VNIRO,
17 V. Krasnoselskaya 107140
Moscow
Telephone: +(095)264-90-90
Fax: +(095)264-9187
Mrs. Kira M. Mikhlina
Senior Scientist
Centre “Mariculture-VNIRO”,
17 V. Krasnoselskaya,
Moscow 107140
Telephone: +(095)264-6934
Fax: +(095)264-9187
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Dr. Elena Ceppanová
Head of the Department
of Veterinary Hygiene
Státna Veterinárna správa
Botanická 17
842, 13 Bratislava,
Slovak Republic
Telephone: +07 420454
Fax: +07 422128
SOUTH AFRICA
Mr. Gj. Joubert
Manager: Food Standards and
Inspection
SA Bureau of Standards
1 DR Lategan Road
Groenkloof
Pretoria 0002
Republic of South Africa
Telephone: +27 12 428 6086
Fax: +27 12 428 6466
Mr. Pieter Truter
Subject Specialist
SA Bureau of Standards
Liesbeek Park RD
P.O. Box 615
Rondebosch 7700
Telephone: +27 21 6895511
Fax: +27 21 6896128
Mr.Tc. Bennett
Group Product Development Manager
I & J Limited
Davison Street
P.O. Box 1628
Woodstock
Cape Town 8000
Telephone: 021 4484527
Fax: 021 475432
SPAIN /ESPAGNE/ESPANA
Milagros Nieto Martinez
Tecnico Superior de la Subdirección
General de Higiene de los Alimentos
Direccion General de Salud Publico
Ministerio de Sandidad y Consumo
Paseo del Prado 18-20
28070 Madrid
Telephone: +91 5961982
Fax: +91 5964409
SWEDEN/SUEDE/SUECIA
Mr. Pontus Elvingson
(Head of Delegation)
Chief Government Inspector
Food Control Division 2
National Food Administration
Box 622
S-751 26 Uppsala
Telephone: +018 175500
Fax: +018 105848
Mr. Bengt Ahlström
Head of Laboratory
Abba Sverige AB
Box 2099
S-451 02 Uddevalla
Sweden
Telephone: +46 523 39000
Fax: +46 523 37389
Mr. Hans Brådenmark
Chief Government Inspector
Food Control Division 2
National Food Administration
Boks 622
S-751 26 Uppsala
Telephone: +018 175564
Fax: +018 105848
Ms. Agnès Joly, PhD
Nestlé R & D Center Bjuv AB
Box 520
S-267 25 BJUV
Sweden
Telephone: +46 42 86548
Fax: +46 42 81700
SWITZERLAND/SUISSE/SUIZA
Mrs. Eva Zbinden
(Head of Delegation)
Head of Codex Section
Federal Office of Public Health
Postfach
CH-3000 Berne 14
Telephone: +41 31 322 95 72
Fax: +41 31 322 95 74
E-Mail: [email protected]
Dr. Gabor Hunyady
Meat Service
Federal Office of Public Health
Postfach
CH-3000 Berne 14
Telephone: +41 31 322 69 89
Fax: +41 31 322 95 74
Olivier Bindschedler
Regulatory Affairs
Nestec S.A.
CH-1800 Vevey
Telephone: +21 924 42 13
Fax: +21 924 45 47
THAILAND/THAILANDE/TAILANDIA
Dr. Prasert Saisithi, Chief
Dean, Faculty of Biotechnology
Rangsit University, Patumtani
Thailand
Telephone: +998-2345, 1460
Mrs. Pongpen Rattagool, Dep. Chief
The Office of Special Operations
Department of Fisheries
Phaholyothin, Bangkhen
Bangkok 10900
Telephone: +66 2 5798094, 5794528
Fax: +66 2 5620527
Mr. Chet Dherapattana
Royal Thai Embassy
Munkedamsveien 59B
N-0270 Oslo
Telephone: +22 83 2517 18
Fax: +22 83 0384
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mr. Kanit Vasiganont
Trade Technical Officer
Department of Foreign Trade
Ministry of Commerce
Thailand
Telephone: +66 2-2817172
Fax: +66 2-2817172
Miss Paweena Yawongsa
Scientist
Standard Analysis Division
Department of Foreign Trade
Ministry of Commerce
Ratchabophit Rd. Pranakorn
BKK, Thailand 10200
Telephone: +662 2247676
Fax: +662 2213255
Mrs. Usa Kolkasing
Standards Officer
Thai Industrial Standards Institute
Ministry of Industry
Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400
Telephone: +662 2023429
Dr. Suphsorn Chayovan, Dep. Director
National Center for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology
National Science and Technology
Development Agency
Ministry of Science Technology and
Environment Bldg.
Rama VI Road, Rajdhevee
Bangkok 10400
Thailand
Telephone: +662 245 5903
+662 245 7185-6
Fax: +662 246 4850
Mr. Chalee Vajrasthira
Vice President & Chairman of Seafood
Packers Group
Thai Food Processor'Association
170/22 9th Floor Ocean Tower 1Bldg,
New-Rachadapisek Road
Bangkok 10110
Thailand
Telephone: +662 261 2684-6
+662 261 2995
Fax: +662 261 2996
Mr. Wanchai Somchit
Executive Manager
Thai Food Processor'Association
170/22 9th Floor Ocean Tower 1Bldg,
New-Rachadapisek Road
Bangkok 10110
Thailand
Telephone: +662 261 2684-6
+662 261 2995
Fax: +662 261 2996
Mr. Lers Thisayakorn
Secretary General
Thai Frozen Foods Association
160/194-7, 13th Floor ITF Bldg
Silom Road, Bangrak
Bangkok 10500
Telephone: +662 2355622-4
Fax: +662 2355625
Miss. Thanitha Boonyanandha
Manager
Thai Frozen Foods Association
160/194-7, 13th Floor ITF Bldg
Silom Road, Bangrak
Bangkok 10500
Telephone: +662 2355622-4
Fax: +662 2355625
UNITED KINGDOM/ROYAUME UNI
REINO UNIDO
Dr. Mark Woolfe
Head of Branch D
Food Labelling and
Standards Division
Ergon House, 17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Telephone: +44 171 238 6168
Fax: +44 171 238 6763
E-Mail: [email protected]
Dr. Kevin Hargin
Senior Scientific Officer
Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food
Ergon House, 17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Telephone: +44 171 238 5987
Fax: +44 171 238 6763
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mr. Cliff R. Morrison
Technical Director
Ross Youngs Ltd.
Ross House
Grimsby, Linconshire
Telephone: 01472 365950
Fax: 01472 365170
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ETATS-UNIS D'AMERIQUE
ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA
Mr. Philip J. Spiller, Director
Office of Seafood
HFS-400 Food and Drug Administration
200 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20204
Telephone: +202-418-3133
Fax: +202-418-3198
Ms. Mary Snyder, Chief
Policy Guidance
Food and Drug Administration
Office of Seafood, HFS-416
200 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20204
Telephone: +202-418-3160
Fax: +202-418-3196
E-Mail: [email protected]
Dr. John E. Kvenberg,
Strategic Manager - HACCP Policy
Food and Drug Administration
CFSAN, HFS-010
200 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20204
Telephone: +202-205-4020
Fax: +202-205-4121
Dr. Johnny Ell Braddy
Consumer Safety Officer
Policy Guidance Branch
Food and Drug Administration
Office of Seafood, HFS-416
200 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20204
Telephone: +202-418-3157
Fax: +202-418-3196
E-Mail:[email protected]
Mr. Ricard V. Cano, Chief
Inspection Services Division
National Marine Fisheries Service
U.S. Dept. of Commerce
1335 East-West Highway
Silver Spring. MD 20910
Telephone: +301-713-2355
Fax: +301-713-1081
E-Mail: [email protected]
Ms. Mary Ann Metz, Chief
Standard Branch
USDC/NOAA/NMFS
One Blackburn Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930
Telephone: +508-281-9285
Fax: +508-281-9125
Ms. Jane E. Fox-Dobson
Food Technologist
USDC/NOAA/NMFS
One Blackburn Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930
Telephone: +508-281-9229
Fax: +508-281-9125
Dr. Jae W. Park
Oregon State University
Seafood Laboratory
250 36th Street
Astoria, OR 97103
Telephone: +503-325-4513
Fax: +503-325-2753
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mr. Charles L. Jensen
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
P.O. Box 1461
Kodiak, Alaska 99615-1461
Telephone: +907-486-5799
(+206-526-8457)
Fax: +206-285-3278,
+907-486-4079
Ms. Martha R. Wiberg
Gorton's Seafood
128 Rogers Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
Telephone: +508-281-7349
Fax: +508-281-8206
Mr. Lloyd R. Hontz
National Food Processors
Association
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: +202-639-5924
Fax: +202-637-8068
Mr. Pall Petursson
Director Quality Assurance
Coldwater Seafood Corporation
904 Woods Road
Cambridge, MD 21613
Telephone: +410-228-7500
Fax: +410-228-9222
URUGUAY
Dr. Roberto Belloni
Jefe Departamento
Inspeccion Pesquera
Ministerio de Ganaderia, Agricultura y Pesca
Instituto Nacional de Pesca
Constituyente 1497
CP 11200 Montevideo
Telephone: +40 46 89
Fax: (+5982) 41 32 16
E.Mail: [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ORGANISATIONS INTERNATIONALES
ORGANIZACIONES INTERNACIONALES
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Mr. Henri Belvéze
Administrateur Principal
Commission Européenne
Direction Générale de l'Agriculture
200 Rue de la Loi
B-1049 Bruxelles, Belgium
Telephone: +(32)2 296 2812
Fax: +(32)2 295 3144
E-Mail: [email protected]
Mr. Luciano Robotti
Administrateur Principal
Conseil des Ministres
Secretariat Général
175 rue de la Loi
B-1048 Bruxelles, Belgium
Telephone: +285 7312
Fax: +285 7957
MARINALG
Ms. Mari Aamold
Manager Regulatory Affairs
Pronova Biopolymer A/S
P.O. Box 494
N-3002 Drammen, Norway
Telephone: +47 32 83 73 00
Fax: +47 32 83 34 88
JOINT FAO/WHO SECRETARIAT
Selma H. Doyran
Food Standards Officer
Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme
FAO - Via delle Terme de Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Telephone: +52255826
Fax: +52254593
E-Mail: [email protected]
Dr. Yukiko Yamada
Food Standards Officer
Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme
FAO - Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Telephone: +52255443
Fax: +52254593
E-Mail: [email protected]
FAO PERSONNEL
Dr. Carlos Lima dos Santos
Senior Fishery Industries Officer
Fish Utilization an
Marketing Service
Fisheries Department
FAO - Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Telephone: +39 6 52254476
Fax: +39 6 52255188
E-Mail: [email protected]
WHO PERSONNEL
Mr. Alan Reilly
World Health Organisation (WHO)
Geneva
Switzerland
Telephone: +41-22-791 3462
Fax: +41-22-791 0746
E-Mail: [email protected].
The guidelines are intended to be used by officials in regulatory bodies who need to use sensory methods when enforcing mandatory standards which include criteria based on sensory attributes of the products. Though the guidelines have been written with Codex standards in mind they include some provisions for products not covered by these standards but where sensory evaluation is used in the testing of fishery products for conformity with requirements.1
The objective of the guidelines is to ensure uniformity of application of standards by making recommendations for inspection purposes concerning the facilities required in sensory testing and the procedures for carrying out sensory tests.
1 Additional criteria may be included if new recommendations are made by the Committee
Sensory evaluation of fishery products for official inspection purposes should be carried out by adequately trained personnel (see Section IV), but the specific conditions of fish inspection should be taken into account when establishing requirements for facilities and evaluation procedures. These may be very different from the recommendations applied in research institutes or industry, and need not be as elaborate. In fact, the circumstances of fish inspection dictate that at times evaluations must be carried out with no facilities at all. Fish inspectors carry out their work at simple landing sites, at ports and inland markets, in factories and in inspection laboratories, and usually work singly, or perhaps in pairs, and rarely as members of a panel. They evaluate a specialised range of products, and use one sensory methodology - grading.
Fish inspectors usually work from an office or research institute and an inspection laboratory should be provided in the premises used by the inspection service. Figure 1 illustrates a plan of a laboratory that would be suitable for use by inspectors for examining fishery products. The two rooms occupy a total of about 35 m2 which should be sufficient for two or three persons to work there together without overcrowding. Preferably the facilities should be on the ground floor of a building and should have easy access for bringing in batches of fishery products.
Office accommodation, storage rooms, staff facilities, and possibly other test facilities should to be provided elsewhere in the premises. The evaluation area must not be used for chemical or microbiological analyses.
This area is to be used for the handling and storage of fishery products, and for the preparation of samples for sensory evaluation. It should be constructed so as to comply with the requirements of good manufacturing practices for the design and construction of fish processing establishments, and all equipment used in the area must also comply with the requirements for equipment used in fish processing establishments.
The preparation area should contain adequate facilities for the temporary storage of chilled and frozen fish, and of dry products like canned fish and cured fish.
There should be one or more tables and benches for the preliminary handling and inspection of batches of material, and one table at least should be suitable for wet processing operations like filleting of fish and peeling of shrimps.
There should be a large sink for washing containers, ustensils and equipment used in the preparation and evaluation areas.
There should be a light box for detection of parasites and bones in fillets where their presence are criteria in local standards.
This area is intended for the sensory evaluation of fish and fishery products. There should be no preparation of products in this area other than final trimming of samples prior of cooking.
The area should be constructed and finished so that it can be maintained in a clean and hygienic state.
The area, ventilation, procedures and sample sequence should be organized to minimize disturbing sensoric stimuli. Also influence and disturbances from fellow evaluators and other personnel should be minimized. The colour of the evaluation area should be neutral.
The benches should be illuminated by fluorescent tubular lighting to give an intensity of around 1 000 lux/m2. The lighting should not be coloured and be of artificial daylight or colour-matching quality, that is with a colour temperature in the region of 5 000–5 500 °K with a Colour Rendering Index of 90%. The lighting fixtures should be placed so that the evaluation area is evenly lit.
Drinking water should be available.
The rooms should be provided with an electricity supply of sufficient capacity to run large refrigerators and freezer cabinets and, if fitted, electrical cooking facilities. There should be a supply of potable water and preferably hot water, but this can be provided by water heaters. Water should not contain substances which could interfere with sensory evaluation. A gas supply, piped or bottled, might be needed for cooking equipment.
In tropical climates the evaluation area at least should be air conditioned.
The exact type and amount of equipment required will depend to some extent on the nature of the products to be inspected and the number and intensities of the examinations. The following are recommended for a general purpose facility for examining a range of fishery products, but mainly chilled and frozen products.
Preparation area
Evaluation area
It is becoming increasingly common for food legislation, either general or specific to fishery products, to require that processing establishments have quality assurance systems in place. A quality assurance programme requires that samples be taken at appropriate places and times and be subjected to test, which will often be by sensory assessment. Whether or not a laboratory is required for this monitoring depends on circumstances. A small plant with simple processing could conduct all the testing required quite effectively on the processing line; a larger plant, particularly one making added-value products should have a quality control laboratory.
Inspectors are required to visit processing plants and to monitor the quality of products and the effectiveness of quality assurance programmes. If it is necessary as part of this excercise to test products then samples could be taken back to the offices of the inspection service, but it is often more convenient, and immediate, to evaluate the products in the factory. Fish processing companies should be encouraged to set up small test laboratories even where legislation does not specifically require that they institute quality assurance programmes, and where factories have laboratories for testing products by sensory evaluation then inspectors should be allowed to use them.
The evaluation area recommended in section 2.2.1 above would be suitable for a small to medium-sized factory. It would be large enough for two or three quality controllers to assess samples in reasonable comfort assuming office services are provided elsewhere and all fish preparation is carried out in the processing area of the factory.
It can not be expected that test facilities will be provided at markets and landing sites, and indeed it is not necessary to provide them. For most purposes in official inspection it would be sufficient to evaluate the quality of products by appearance and odour, and if a more comprehensive examination is required then samples can be brought back to the offices of the inspection service.
In most circumstances where fishery products are subjected to official inspection a decision is made about a batch of fish, for example, acceptance or rejection of a consignment of imported products, classification of batches of fish on a market into freshness grades. The decision is made on the basis of an examination of a sample drawn from the batch, and official regulations, or guidelines based on regulations, will usually specify how the sample is to be taken, the number of sample units to be taken, and how the decision about the fate of the batch is made on the basis of the results of the examination.
Sampling should be carried out, as applicable, in accordance with the Codex Sampling Plans for Prepackaged Foods (CAC/RM 42-1969) and the General Guidelines on Sampling (under elaboration).
The variation in sensory properties in a batch of fish of the same origin and subjected to uniform handling is quite high and a reasonably large sample should be taken by the inspector, between 12 and 20 units would be suitable. Sensory analysis procedures used in fish inspection are rapid and are inexpensive to carry out, especially when compared with microbiological and chemical procedures, and the costs of the sensory evaluation should not be a major factor when deciding on the size of sample to
take. In some circumstances, for example the evaluation of the freshness of unfrozen fish, the sample is not destroyed and could be returned to the batch, hence not incurring any loss to the owner.
When collecting a sample for inspection the inspector should ensure that the procedures used for taking the sample, and the subsequent handling of the sample, do not materially affect its sensory properties. In some circumstances, for example inspection of unfrozen fish at landing sites and markets, and in factories, the samples can be inspected immediately and the question of possible changes do not arise. Where frozen fish is being inspected samples may be taken to the inspection laboratory for evaluation.
Where unfrozen fish has to be removed for evaluation it should be handled carefully to avoid damage and should be packed in ice or kept at a temperature not exceeding 2°C for transport back to the laboratory.
Frozen products should be transported in insulated or refrigerated containers. Small packs of products can be carried in insulated containers, but it might be necessary to use commercial refrigerated trucks for transporting large fish or blocks of frozen fish.
The inspector should make complete records of the taking of the sample(s) - description of the material, location of the sampled batch, registration number or any other official record of the premises, identification marks and process batch numbers, date, time and circumstances of the sampling, number of sample units taken and any code marks attached to them, the name of the inspector taking the sample, and how the samples were packed and returned to the inspection laboratory. The inspection service should provide a pre-printed form on which all this information can be entered.
The inspector should check that the sample is properly packed and where necessary, under temperature control before despatching it to the inspection laboratory. If the sample is not under the supervision of officials during transport the inspector should ensure that the sample can not be tempered with during the journey.
On receipt at the inspection laboratory, samples, if not evaluated immediately, should be stored under appropriate conditions. However fresh and chilled products should be examined on the day they are received. Products in either chill or frozen storage should be appropriately wrapped to prevent drying out or desiccation.
Chilled whole fish can be evaluated as they are, and this is how products would be assessed at landing sites and markets, but in laboratories a more full assessment can be carried out if the fish are first prepared. The fish, if entire, should be gutted and the guts retained. The head should be removed, and the fillet from one side taken off. The portions should be assembled together on a tray for inspection.
QF Products can be laid out on the examination bench in the evaluation area, but it is often more convenient for presentation and for clearing up after if sample units are presented on trays.
Frozen products should first be examined in the frozen state. The complete sample unit or portions of the unit should then be thawed. Whether the units can, or should be subdivided, depends on the nature of the products. Packs of IQF shrimps or fillets can be opened and subsamples taken. Portions could be sawn off large fish or off blocks, but this might be difficult in the case of thick material unless a bandsaw is available.
Frozen material should be thawed out as quickly as possible, but without raising the temperature of all or part of the product so that it might spoil. The simplest procedure is to spread out the sample units on the benches and tables in the preparation area and leave them to thaw at ambient temperature. They should be covered to prevent drying and contamination. The samples should be examined when the internal temperature reaches 40°F (4.4 °C). The progress of thawing should be monitored and when it is judged that thawing is complete the products should be evaluated, or transferred to a refrigerator. Products should be covered with plastics film before storing in the refrigerator. Storage should be limited in order to maintain sample integrity. If possible sample units should be thawed out on trays so that the amount and nature of the thaw drip can be assessed.
Thawing can be accelerated by immersion of the material in water maintained at around 25°C. This is acceptable if the product is protected from contact with water by suitable wrappings, or if contact with water does not materially affect the sensory properties of the product. Small sample units such as IQF fillets or small packs of shrimps or shellfish meats could be thawed in a microwave cooker on the defrost setting, but care must be taken not to use too high power settings otherwise parts of the material will be overheated.
Large frozen fish or large blocks of frozen products will take many hours to thaw out at ambient temperature, longer than a normal working day, and they can not be properly monitored thoughout the whole process of thawing. One solution is to lay the products out for thawing at the end of a working day when they will just be completely, or almost completely, thawed by the following morning. Alternatively the material can be put out to thaw as early as possible in the day and transferred to a chill room at the end of the day to complete the process at low temperature. It is helpful to break apart blocks of product when they are partially thawed to accelerate thawing if this can be done without damaging the material.
Whole fish, including crustacean shellfish and cephalopods, can be accurately assessed for freshness in the raw state, but a complete examination should include an assessment of cooked material. Processed products like fillets and shellfish meats, and frozen products, should be assessed after cooking.
Official regulations are usually not concerned with commercial aspects of the quality of products and these guidelines are not intended for the evaluation of the sensory properties of consumer products as complete dishes. Coated products should have the coating removed before cooking the fish component. Fish products in sauces, and canned fish, should have the sauces removed, by gentle washing if necessary.
The fat line should be removed before evaluation for species where it is usual to remove it before cooking. Fillets or steaks of vertebrate fish may be used in assessment of cooked material. Portions should not be more than about 2 cm thick. Steaks can be cut to this thickness and more than one steak might be required from small fish to provide sufficient material. Thick fillets from large fish should be sliced if necessary. More than one item might be required to make up sufficient material in the case of small products like shrimps and small fish.
Whole shrimps should be beheaded, but otherwise shell-on material can be cooked in the shell. Cephalopods should be cleaned and the edible portions prepared for cooked assessment.
Samples of 50–100g should be cooked to an internal temperature of 65–70°C and must not be overcooked. The exact times required for cooking different products should be determined by experiment for the cooking equipment and procedures used in the laboratory. Any procedure is suitable that does not impart odours or flavours of itself. Frying is not suitable. The following are recommended.
Steaming. Place the product in a casserole and suspend the casserole over boiling water, or place in a boiling water bath, (bain-marie), or in a steam chest.
Boil-in-the-bag. Place the sample in a plastic bag suitable for use with foods, loosely close the bag and immerse it in boiling water with the open end above the level of the water - over the side of the pan held down by the lid is a convenient way. Several samples can be cooked at once.
Poaching. Place the sample in a pan with a small amount of water; about 0.5 cm deep is usually adequate. Fit a lid, rapidly bring the water to boiling and simmer gently until the sample is cooked. Put only one sample in a pan.
Microwave cooking. Place the sample in a container suitable for use in microwave ovens and cook according to the instructions for the loading in the oven. Though microwave cooking is fast and convenient the process requires more monitoring and control than the other procedures. It is usually necessary to reduce power to about 70% of maximum to avoid localised overheating of thinner parts of the sample. Oily fish will also tend to ‘spit’ at high energies. Samples should be cooked to an internal temperature of 65–70°C The time for the samples to be cooked at a given power rating depends on the total loading in the oven cavity and a table of heating times and load will have to be compiled. Heating can be uneven throughout the oven in some microwaves resulting in differential heating when several samples are put into the oven together. It is also important if several samples are being cooked together that samples weights are similar in each container. All samples should be checked by appearance or by measuring their temperatures on removal from the oven that they are cooked before presenting them for assessment and samples are evaluated while warm.
Standards and specifications for fishery products will specify the features of the product that are to be evaluated, and the criteria for accepting or rejecting products or for allocating them to grades. Table 1 lists sensory attributes and criteria which appear in standards and quality grading schemes. In order to apply quality criteria consistently in inspection of products it is necessary to conduct the sensory assessments in a consistent and systematic manner. Samples should be assessed relative to the characteristics of the species concerned.
Assessors must pay particular attention to those features of the product which are referred to in any standards and which determine conformance to the standard, but in addition they should assess and record other relevant attributes of the samples, as appropriate. Fish inspection services often have advisory functions and a full sensory analysis of products can often prove useful in identifying and correcting mistakes in processing and storage.
Table 1. Examples of attributes of fishery products used in sensory evaluation2
Vertebrate fish, chilled
| Presentation | Feature | Criteria and descriptions |
| Raw whole, gutted or ungutted | outer surface, skin | colour: bright, dull, bleached |
| slime: colourless, discoloured | ||
| damage: none, punctures, abrasions | ||
| eyes | shape: convex, flat, concave brightness: clear, cloudy colour: normal, discoloured | |
| belly cavity | guts (in intact fish): intact, digested cleanliness (in gutted fish): completely gutted and cleaned, incompletely gutted, not washed | |
| belly walls: bright, clean, discoloured, digested | ||
| parasites: absent, present | ||
| blood: bright red, brown | ||
| texture | skin: smooth, gritty flesh: firm, soft | |
| appearance of gills | colour: bright red or pink, bleached, discoloured | |
| mucus: clear, opaque, discoloured | ||
| odour of gills | fresh, characteristic, neutral, slightly sour, slightly stale, definite spoilage, putrid | |
| Raw fillets | appearance | translucent, glossy, natural colour, opaque, dull, blood-stained, discoloured |
| texture | firm, elastic, soft, plastic | |
| odour | marine, fresh, neutral, sour, stale, spoiled, putrid | |
| C o o k e d fillets | odour | spoilage: marine, fresh, neutral, musty, sour, spoiled |
| taints: absent, disinfectant, fuel oil, chemicals, sulphides | ||
| flavour | spoilage: sweet, creamy, fresh oil, neutral, sour, oxidised, putrid, musty, fermented, rancid, bitter, taints: absent, disinfectant, fuel oil, very bitter, alkaline, polyphosphates, chemicals | |
| texture | succulent, firm, soft, pasty, gelatinous, dry | |
| Frozen | appearance | freezer burn: absent, slight, superficial, extensive, deep |
| colour: normal, yellow to bronze discolouration in fatty fish | ||
| T h a w e d fillets, raw | texture | firm, elastic, flexible, very firm, hard, stiff |
| drip: slight, moderate, abundant odourspoilage and taints: as for chilled fish cold storage: absence of cold storage odours, sharp, cardboardy, rancid | ||
| T h a w e d fillets, | odour & flavour | spoilage and taints: as for chilled fish |
| cold storage: absence of cold storage odours or flavours,cardboardy, rancid | ||
| texture | firm, succulent, tough, fibrous, dry | |
| Crustacean shellfish, chilled | ||
| Raw | appearance, shell-on | bright colours, slight blackening on the head, blackening on head and body |
| appearance, peeled meats | translucent, overall white or light grey, slight black discolouration, extensive black discolouration, very translucent, slimy, yellowish discolouration on butt end of tail meat taken from head-on products | |
| odour | fresh, marine, musty, ammoniacal, sour, spoiled, putrid | |
| C o o k e d meats | appearance, | white, opaque, blacks spots, extensive black discolouration, slightly translucent |
| odour | fresh, boiled milk, musty, ammoniacal, rancid, sour, spoiled | |
| flavour | sweet, creamy, neutral, musty, sour, bitter, spoiled | |
| texture | firm, elastic, soft, mushy | |
2 References to be included for the clarification of sensory properties, as established by ISO
Crustacean shellfish, frozen
Criteria specific to the grading of frozen shellfish, and their descriptions, are essentially the same as those applied to the grading of frozen vertebrate fish.
At fish markets and landing sites fish will be assessed by appearance and odour. Fish change in appearance in a number of ways during spoilage in ice and it is not usually difficult to accurately grade iced fish by appearance alone. The characteristics to look for are listed in Table 1. The marked changes which occur in fish stored in melting ice are easy to categorise and are described in a number of freshness scoring systems. However, the appearance of fish not stored in ice, even if it is stored under chill conditions, does not change as much as does iced fish, and in this case appearance is not necessarily a good indication that a sample is unfit for consumption. A knowledge of the history of the fish should warn the inspector about this, but an experienced assessor should be able to tell if fish have not been stored in ice. The eyes will change shape slightly, but will not become cloudy. The skin will retain its colours and might become slightly shiny rather than dull. The skin might be dry to the touch and be slightly wrinkled, and will not develop the discoloured slime that is typical of fish spoiled in ice.
Where there is doubt about freshness on the basis of appearance of the inspector should assess the odour of the gills as this reflects more closely the extent of microbiological spoilage and decomposition of the sample. Samples at fish markets might be cold, (they should be if the fish is being handled according to good manufacturing practices), which reduces the volatility of odours from the fish, but an experienced person should still be able to assess the freshness of fish accurately by odour, particularly in the critical region where the fish is spoiling.
Evaluation in the laboratory should be more thorough than is possible in the field. Samples should be laid out on the inspection bench and be allowed to warm to ambient temperature.
Whether the fish has been stored in ice or in air, the odour of the gills will be a good indication of the freshness of the sample. The assessor should record the nature of the odour, particularly of any unusual odours that might indicate contamination or unusual storage conditions.
A fillet taken from the fish should be examined. In spoiled fish there will be reddening of flesh below the backbone which might also be seen on the flesh of the fillet. Extensive self-digestion of the guts in ungutted fish will show up as a brown staining of the flesh around the belly cavity and as softening or complete dissolution of the flesh of the belly wall. The flesh should be examined for parasites, including proteolytic parasites, and for abnormal conditions like gelatinous textures.
Filleted products should be assessed first for appearance looking for defects just described. The odour should be assessed and if it is weak and difficult to characterise the fillet should be cut to expose a fresh surface.
Whole, shell-on shrimp should be assessed for appearance, particularly the presence of black spot. A small amount of melanosis can be tolerated in acceptable products and final judgement of wholesomeness should be based on odour of the raw material and flavour of the cooked. For head-on shrimp the head should be broken off and the appearance and odour of the inside of the carapace, and the appearance of the butt end of the tail meat, should be assessed. Peeled meats should be assessed for appearance, particularly melanosis, and for odour.
Cooked samples should be held in a closed container, allowed to cool to a comfortable tasting temperature, and kept warm unless they are assessed immediately. Products which have already been cooked, for example cooked shrimps, should be warmed up slightly.
The assessor should note the appearance of the product and record any unusual features. The odour should be smelled and its character and strength recorded, particularly any unusual odours like chemical taints. Assessors should be encouraged to taste cooked samples unless clearly decomposed, as some compounds can only be detected by mouth (e.g. low levels of decomposition or fuel contamination)
The characteristics and strength of the odour should be sufficient for the assessor to make a judgement as to the quality of the product, but unless there are reasons for not doing so, the sample should be tasted. Reasons for not tasting would include the sample's being offensively spoiled, or a suspicion that the product could be contaminated by bacteria, toxins, or chemicals that might be injurious to health. Assessors should spit out samples after tasting them so the amount of possibly dangerous material that might be ingested is very small and there is little risk to health under normal conditions of sensory testing.
The flavour of a sample in the mouth should confirm the assessment based on odour, but can give additional information. For example most additives such as salt, sorbates, polyphosphates, are not detectable by odour, but are detectable by taste. Sensory analysis alone should not be used to determine the presence of additives and any suspicion that non permitted additives have been used, or that excess amounts of permitted additives are present, should be confirmed by chemical analysis.
The texture of the product can be assessed by manipulating the cooked sample with a fork, and can also be evaluated in the mouth.
Rinsing between samples should be encouraged, although generally the flavours of chill-stored fish, even when spoiled are not persistent and do not carry over from one sample to another. Distilled, filtered or bottled water at ambient temperature should be used preferably so as to impart no flavor or odor to the sample, and plain, unsalted crackers or plain bread can be used to cleanse the palate. Palate cleansers might be needed when tasting only, particularly rancid oily, samples.
Frozen fish should be examined in the frozen state. The assessor should note the nature and state of any wrappings and glazes and the product should be examined for any discolourations and for the extent and depth of any dehydration. The assessor should note if there are signs that the product might have been thawed or partially thawed and refrozen. Signs of slumping or distortion of blocks, the collection of frozen drip in pockets in the wrappings, (not to be confused with water that might have been present on the fish at the time of freezing), and the partial loss of glaze.
Thawed samples should be presented and examined as for the corresponding unfrozen product. It is not easy to evaluate the freshness of thawed whole fish by appearance because the freezing and thawing processes alter characteristics like the eyes, skin and colour of gills and blood. The gills have a leathery or slightly rancid odour even after short periods of frozen storage which have no significance for the quality of the product.
Thawed fillets, and fillets from thawed whole fish, should be assessed for visual defects, particularly in the case of oily fish for the yellow or bronze colours produced by lipid oxidation. They should be pressed with the fingers or squeezed in the hand and the amount of liquor released should be noted. No liquor will be released by manual pressure from unfrozen fish or from fish which has been stored under good conditions in the frozen state.
The odour of the raw fillet should be assessed. Frozen lean fish develop characteristic carboardy and sharp, slightly pungent odours. Oily fish develop rancid odours. Experienced assessors can also discriminate in the odour and flavour of the cooked sample those odours due to the product's freshness before freezing and those due to frozen storage provided neither set is too strong.
There is a wide range in sensitivities to the chemical which develops during frozen storage of lean fish among individuals to the extent that some are completely insensitive. Also individuals vary in their sensitivities to the rancid odours formed in frozen fatty fish, though complete insensitivity seems to be rare. Frozen storage brings about changes in texture of products and even in people who are relatively insensitive to odour stimuli changes in texture often provides enough clues for them to be able to grade products.
