Major Areas Of Interest
There are four major areas of activities under the division viz
- Processing
- By products
- Packaging
- Pilot Plant
- Handling practices during processing and transportation and for minimising nutritional losses during curing have been recommended.
- Developed and standardised processes for removal of urea from shark flesh, extraction of shark fin rays, liver oil, processing of shark cartilage and processing good quality leather from the skin. Technology was perfected for production of shark cartilage from shark bones.
- Process for packing fish curry in indigenous retort pouch was standardised and tested. The industry was advised on manufacturing the pouches indigenously using a 3-layer configuration suitable for heat processing thereby eliminating import.
- Vacuum packing using indigenously available packing materials was found to have better effect on extending the shelf life of processed fish products compared to packing in air.
- Developed processes for battering and breading of a variety of products based on fish and shellfish.
- Attractive ready-to-cook products like sushi, nobashi, breaded nobashi, breaded crab claw, swimming crab claw (frozen), claw covered fresh crab meat, fresh stuffed crab, skewered seafood etc. have been developed from cultured shrimps and crabs, white fish meat etc.
- Technology was developed for commercial production of ready-to-use isinglass from fish maws prepared from the air bladder of two varieties of catfish. The product was approved for use as a clarifying agent in brewery and the technology was transferred to the industry.
- Process developed for recovery of protein from prawn shell and tuna waste by hydrolysis using alkalase enzyme. The product was found useful in production of protein rich beverages and food flavour.
- Developed the technology for the production of chitin and chitosan from prawn shell wastes and this was successfully transferred to the industry.
- Processes were developed for production of high gel strength agar and agarose from seaweeds and the same was transferred to the industry.
- Method was standardised for enhancing the colour and texture of squid and cuttlefish tubes, fillets and tentacles.
- Worked out methods for utilization of low priced fish. Production of mince from different species, particularly small ones has been identified as one of the best means of their utilization and recipes for different types of products were formulated.
- A method was developed for preparation of a protein concentrate from black meat of tuna.
- Technology was standardised for upgradation of jawala, Acetes sp. for human consumption and methods worked out for preparation of several products like wafers, cutlet etc. using this species.
- Krill (Euphausia superba) based products were formulated using frozen krill and krill mince.
- Technology for the production of shrimp feed pellets from indigenously available agricultural and animal products and byproducts using baby extruder was standardised.