Maharashtra HSC Fish Processing Technology (Bifocal) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Rigor mortis

Stiffening of fish muscle after death caused by depletion of ATP and formation of actomyosin; begins within hours and resolves in roughly 12-24 hours at ambient temperature.

K-value

Ratio of inosine and hypoxanthine to total ATP-related compounds, expressed as a percentage; a lower K-value indicates fresher fish and is used as a freshness index.

Gaping

Separation of muscle blocks along the myotomes in fillets, caused by rough handling, rigor, or poor chilling; reduces fillet grade and value.

TVB-N

Total volatile base nitrogen, a spoilage index measuring ammonia, trimethylamine and related bases; values above about 30 mg per 100 g indicate unacceptable fish.

Trimethylamine

Volatile amine formed by bacterial reduction of trimethylamine oxide in fish muscle; its fishy odour and rising level signal spoilage.

HACCP

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system with seven principles used to identify, monitor and control food safety hazards in fish processing.

Surimi

Washed, stabilised fish myofibrillar protein paste, made by mincing, water washing, dewatering and adding cryoprotectants, used to make kamaboko and analogues.

Kamaboko

Japanese fish gel product made by heating salted surimi; its elastic texture depends on myosin concentration and proper setting and cooking temperatures.

Water activity

Ratio of vapour pressure of water in food to that of pure water; values below 0.85 inhibit most spoilage bacteria and below 0.60 halt microbial growth.

Modified atmosphere packaging

Packaging fish in a gas mixture, typically 30-60% carbon dioxide with nitrogen balance, to inhibit Gram-negative spoilage bacteria and extend chilled shelf life.

Fish silage

Liquid feed ingredient made by acidifying minced fish or fish waste with formic acid to pH below 4, preventing bacterial growth and liquefying the protein.

Fish meal

High-protein feed ingredient made by cooking, pressing, drying and grinding whole fish or trimmings; typically 60-72% crude protein and under 10% fat.

Chitosan

Deacetylated form of chitin from shrimp and crab shells; used in water treatment, food coatings, and biomedical applications because of its biocompatibility.

Blast freezer

Freezing equipment using high-velocity cold air at about -30 to -40 degrees Celsius to freeze fish quickly, producing small ice crystals and less drip loss.

Retort

Pressure vessel used to heat-process canned fish at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius, achieving commercial sterility and inactivating Clostridium botulinum spores.

Plate freezer

Contact freezer in which fish is pressed between hollow metal plates circulated with refrigerant, giving fast freezing and a flat, block-shaped product.

Histamine

Heat-stable toxin formed in scombroid fish by bacterial decarboxylation of histidine during temperature abuse; FDA limit is 50 ppm and it causes scombroid poisoning.

Anisakis

Nematode parasite found in marine fish; larvae can cause illness if raw fish is eaten and are killed by freezing at -20 degrees Celsius for 24 hours or by cooking.

Ciguatera

Food poisoning caused by heat-stable ciguatoxin accumulating in reef fish; not destroyed by cooking and not detected by smell or taste.

Codex Alimentarius

International food standards programme; its Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products is the global reference for fish hygiene and processing.

FSSAI

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which sets and enforces food safety standards, including for fish and fishery products, and issues licences to units.

MPEDA

Marine Products Export Development Authority of India; regulates and promotes seafood exports and supports EU approval and infrastructure for processing units.

Break-even point

Output level where total revenue equals total cost, calculated as fixed costs divided by the difference between unit selling price and unit variable cost.

Contribution margin

Difference between selling price and variable cost per unit; expressed as a ratio it equals that difference divided by selling price times 100.

Value addition

Processing fish into higher-value products such as fillets, surimi, ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat items to increase margin over whole fish sales.

Kjeldahl method

Method to determine crude protein by digesting the sample with acid, distilling ammonia, and multiplying nitrogen by 6.25 to estimate protein content.

Soxhlet extraction

Method for fat determination in which solvent repeatedly extracts lipids from a dried sample, and the solvent is evaporated to weigh the fat.

Peroxide value

Measure of lipid oxidation products in fat, expressed as milliequivalents of peroxide oxygen per kilogram of fat; higher values indicate rancidity.

TBA value

Thiobarbituric acid value, measuring malondialdehyde from lipid oxidation and reported as milligrams of malondialdehyde per kilogram of fish sample.

Total plate count

Microbiological test counting viable aerobic bacteria grown on plate count agar, usually incubated at 35 degrees Celsius for 48 hours and reported as CFU per gram.

Hedonic scale

Sensory evaluation tool, often 5-point or 9-point, on which panellists rate liking of a fish product; samples are coded to avoid bias.

Bleeding

Cutting gills or throat of fish after capture to remove blood, improving flesh colour and reducing rancidity and discolouration in fatty fish.