Principal of Surimi Technoly....

Recovery Surimi….

Warning Note: Recovery Surimi take some advance knowledge it can make a lots of money for a company as also it can cause a company to loose a lots of money or their reputation, there is a lots of variable that can affect the quality of the product in shelf life storage that are not include in this blog. Before getting in to practice or produce the Surimi take advice of someone that have truly a lots of experience and understanding in the matter.

All the content and experience here describe, only reflex my experience, and experiments ,and research that I have been involve or have collaborate with .

What is recovery surimi?

Recovery Surimi is the by product of a combination of fish waste that still have some meat or some good protein in it (collars, napes, bones racks and others), that used to be of not value except for fishmeal after the machines in a processing plant process the fish for fillets or surimi .

Today technology and the knowing how to manage and produce a very high quality of secondary grade surimi that can be use in combination or just alone in the Surimi analogue products manufacture industries.

This currently grades are: RA, AAA, KB, KA, KAO, AO, and A. All this products can be done in combination of using the waste meat from the primary refiners if processing Surimi or using fish that can not go into the fillet machines, because they are broken, to small or they are miss cut, and also using the meat of the recycled wasted water from the second wash, screw press, and perhaps the waste water of the secondary decanter.

My Experience And The Beginning Of Recovery Surimi.

My experience began in a former company Oceantrawl. My first experience was in their super trawler Northern Eagle at 340 feet, that started fishing in Alaska during the summer of 1987. It was one of the very first modern catcher processor in America with the latest technology for fishing as well as the manufacture of Surimi at the time. The Japanese crew was in charge to train us and be the advisors. This vessel capacity as big as it is was of 50 metric tones of finished Surimi.

This was accomplished with 3 Toyo automatic fillet machines, 3 screw presses, 4 hi rev dewatering system (a definably recovery killer), 3 refiner R-300, a set of rotary screen witch consisted of 1 for secondary dewatering and 2 for second wash before the refiners, and in the washing system. Water was provided by a Sasakura water destilator.

Recovery was of 13% and this was good at the time. Imagine today, we’re not happy if we don’t have a combine of minimum 28% -33% +.

After a year or so the company start to experiment and looking into how to increase production and how to maximize the catch.

At the time Mr. M.N. was in charge and was also a port engineer, and also had more knowledge and experience working with the Japanese advisors. Which Kimpachi Ichizawa San was the main Surimi Master and from that time my mentor and teacher.

They decide to get a deboner use back then, in the chicken industry called Paioly to run the bones out of the fillets machines, and see what could be recover , out of then and see could we get out it.

After the bones are grounded and we collect as many 5 gallons buckets as we could, then we started to wash it by hand as well strained it the water out and later processed trough a refiners, and hand squeezed to get the water as much as possible to get the best moisture that we could add the proper additive to make Kamuboko , although this procedure was lower RA graded, considering that it took a very long time just to get enough meat to put it in a press approximately 300 kilos. By the time we get it done that meat for sure was not in the best shape.

Another project involved was to used all sorts of by catch ( arrow tooth yellow fins, cod, rock fish, and anything that could run thought the piece cutter to make surimi this was far easier since we use the regular wash system to do it having the same results lower RA grade product.

After that the company when on a buy the first decanter a 318 alfa laval, and some other equipment that were design to follow the project some of then are use today in Surimi Recovery ,And then later on abandon it, and concentrating in increasing the production of primary products when it become evident that the fishing was changing and a lots of more company were being created and by then the company it self have anothers 2 more vessels Northen Hawk, and Northen Jeaguer identical to the Northen Eagle.

Then came the time when the 700 gram average fish couldn’t be found circa about 1990-1993 then only small fish size as small as 200 gram have to be catch and process this made us go into another quest of improvising technology to be able to process the catch, many of the already experience and machinery that we used in the recovery surimi was implemented as well the design of some news one like the piece washer… And amazingly we make very high SA quality products.

This was the beginning of new Surimi technology and the end of the Japanese theory ,and way of doing things.

Then it come the time that Oceantrawl ,sold out the company to American Seafood in 1997, I worked a couple of season with then ,and move in to take a job with Pacific Surimi as senior surimi technician, Pacific Surimi was a Joint venture company with Pacific Seafood of Oregon and Mitsui of Japan, their Surimi plant was locate in Warrenton Oregon, and produces Surimi of Pacific Whiting (hake).

I took over in the season of 1997 and lasted till 2001 after many modification and experiments to increase quality and recovery for the company ,most of the experiments where conducted with the participation of seniors members and students of OSU Oregon State University division of fishery in Astoria Oregon. Most of experiments and test of machinery and product where done in the surimi plant as also in their facility in their at the time new lab in Astoria.

We start to test and implement the recovery Surimi in the season of 1998 in a joint collaboration with a company in Alaska in a plant a Kodiak ( TSA) where some of the People from formally Oceantrawl were working ,and as well have the knowledge of the Recover Surimi principal ,and OSU… That year after test in shelf life and quality was done the Recovery Surimi went into the market… in a conservative way of blending it with primary Surimi ,to make a secondary grade, and as secondary grade alone. Quality was good depending in the % of secondary added to primary, and how it was blended, since Hake enzymatic property are very complex.

In This plant I used 3 decanters, 2 wash tanks, a deboner, 2 rotary screens, the secondary refiner in line( Not Brown refiner) not necessarily needed But the design is very convenient and easy to modified . And some of the other equipment that are listed in here below were not needed at that particular time because of the condition of the fish, amount of water that could be used, and the set up of the Surimi Plant…

Pacific Coast Surimi at the time that I took over as Senior Surimi Technician advisor, was producing and average of 40 m/t per day in a good day after all the changes and add on it was making over 80 m/t per day with 2 Toyos machines and a Baader fillet machine wich it was used mainly for skin on fillets, or PBO fillets.

I finished my work with Pacific Surimi and move back into the trawlers fleet in the year 2001 ,hake fishery was slowing down due to the by catch and the hake over catch it self .

Today I `m still be a Surimi Technician and everything that Ichizawa San teach me in 11 years that we work together is constantly changing even that the same principals theory still applied. Like for one we are making surimi today only with the rejects of fillets and still be able to make very high FA product and even SA can be done in a flinch, Another one when is winter time and the fish have roe, Surimi quality is the same ,same as the fish size it doesn’t matter as I have determine the quality of the product is as good as the operators and the machines are..

Even that the 2010 season SA grade have been a challenge , due to the fishing condition, for one the Ice have move farther south as we never have see it before, the condition in the meat is colder ,ph, and it related is sometimes very uneatable and the muscle are holding a lots of moisture ,making a lots of changing in the line is common. But our order was complete , with a good quality as noted below ..

By my rules if a products SA don’t have this minimum spec W 750 LV 1.55 with a moister of 74.3-7 is not SA.

If a FA grade don’t have minimum W750 LV 1.45 is not FA and so on the thing is that the product must be over 200 value to the original spec by the buyer.

Recovery Surimi equipments…

A perfect recovery Surimi plants, that can process any kind of fish must consist of specialized equipments designed for versatility and easy operation… The cost of such a plant is nothing compare with the money that will make comparing the Surimi prices at that of fishmeal and in a Vessel that produce fish meal it still produce fishmeal with almost not loss in quality in the specifications.

Here a list of equipments:

01) Piece cutter or shredder for whole fish or big pieces of fishes.( Oceantrawl)

1) 3 Floaters tank aka (liver tanks) These tanks will float skins and liver out of the meat.( Design originally for Mackerel Surimi to float the oil)

2) Liver and loose guts washer screen. This screen is to help in the use to separate liver, guts, and kidney.(Oceantrawl)( Date back to prossing small 150-250 grams fish)

3) 1 Tenderizer and break up tank to facilitate separation of the guts and liver in the collars , or any part that is no wanted. ( My idea after seeing and analyzing the process )

4) Meat grinder it could be a 405 toyo or a Baader 607 and the best is for super high recovery in shore plant 4 stage water pressure separator.

5) Tank for the Meat grinder. Must consist of a high speed auger with control speed.

6) Rotary screen, or hydro sieve for first stage wash.

7) Rotary screen or hydro sieve, for second stage wash.(optional) it depend in plant application.

8) Rotary screen or hydro sieve, for second stage wash.(optional) it depend in plant application

9) Decanters waste water collection tank,

10) 1 tank to feed decanter.

11) 1 tank to collect waste from primary refiners.

12) 1 tank to collect meat from decanter 1.

13 ) 1 tank to collect waste from primary refiners.

14) 1 tank to collect refine meat and feed to second decanters and third decanter .

Note : This configuration and most of the equipment is the one that I have been using since 1999 therefore is the one that I have more experience with, and the one that have been tested and maximize for recovery and quality. See Recovery Surimi History.

What can this machines produces?

This combination of equipments ,can handle as much as any vessel can produce in a day ,it easily can recover anywhere of 3.5%- 5% or even as high 8 % , after fillet or Surimi . A course it depend in the level of experience in the Surimi Technician Operator, and as well what is the plant doing or what is processing at the time as well as the size of the fish, also how much water is used and where is use.(Clarifying ) This at Pollock or Pacific whiting (hake) operation.

In a shore plant the system is designed to manage any kind of fish that have the characteristic for the manufacture of Surimi ,such as Horse Mackerel, salmon, Blue whiting, and others.

This kind of factory work better with small fish since they are soft and most of the protein can be recover. It also work very good as a second line in a plant that already is producing Surimi, since it can take advantage of all the recovery water and water soluble protein in the wash cycle and the screw presses , and the reject of the primary refiners, so enhancing the final product and giving you the opportunity of manipulate a difference grade of products.

Machinery and their principles.

Piece Cutter or shredder: A machine designed to cut in piece the whole fish or parts of fish to be able to work at maximum efficiency in the recovery line, and to maximize productivity in a plant. They are several design available today or they can be design to and specific application for better recovery.

Floater Tank: A tank much like a liver tank designed to help in the removal of livers , guts , black skins attach to the meat, this tank consist of an auger that feed the settle pieces of meats into the pumps and as well help to floats the not wanted parts , and a water level regulator that act as a flushing device to separate the livers , and guts of the meat in the water with the use of gravity and water flow stream ,so expelling it over the edge of the tank to the fish meal feeding Shute or to the garbage. This system work with the pressure of the water and the flow of the materials.

In this tank the collars bone, pieces of meat, and others can be feed…And it can work just with salt water in a fishing trawler, due to it limitation for fresh water.

Liver and loose guts washer screen: Is type of rotary screen design to flush some of the matter no wanted in the meat , it consist of a turning drum with spray bars ,and hole of specific sizes to help in the separation of the matters….

Tenderizer and break up tank : This tank is one of the main venue to have a better surimi ahead in the processing since it break loose the guts, kidney and, liver in the collars bone as well separate guts in the pieces of meat of fish that have been recover and feed to the piece cutter. As well it break down the meat making the recovery in the refiner much easy.

It consist of just a wash tank with several blades and or paddle.

Meat grinder or best for super high recovery in shore plant 4 stage water pressure separator.

Meat grinder could be of any form, some company have baaders 607,others have Toyo 710 and so on…The more appropriate things is to figure out your application to decide in this matter.

Water Pressure separator is a design that you must use decanters ,is of more efficiency separation, in a way you get much more recovery from the start point, and is more efficient for some species of fish due to their among of oil in the flesh or enzymatic characteristic. This design only some people have use it and it have all be done in experimental study to determine it useful advantage.

Tank for the Meat grinder. Must consist of a high speed auger with control speed. This tank is what collect the meat and is where you actually will start you washing cycles, This is actually where you will start to control the enzymatic activity in the meat .By adding waters of different sources and start to separate guts, livers, kidney, and other unwanted matters out of the good protein that will be recover…

Rotary screens, or hydro sieve for first stage wash. As we already know it is were ,the bloody water and water soluble protease will start to be separated and take it away from the product.

Rotary screen or hydro sieve, for second stage wash.(optional) it depend in plant application, Need for a second wash cycle …

2 sets of wash tanks. First set for use with a combination of waters and the second for used with rinse out water and salinity adjustment ….

Decanters waste water collection tank, This tank is to collect and manage the water to be use in the first part process of the product. By doing so helping in separated not wanted material, and at the same time saving fresh water where is not necessary to use it.

1 tank to feed decanter. This tank the bigger the better in my first project I send to make a 5000 litters with a paddle ,the reason was to be able to feed 3 decanters At the most optimal rate possible ,to optimize recovery output.

1 tank to collect waste from primary or secondary refiners. The collected wasted meat is what will enhance you secondary products all depend in how is manage .

Refiners need minimum 2 As I have said before it could be either the Japanese style or the Brown refiner.

Follow the blog for the following chapters.

How it all work….

Inside a Surimi Technician mind.

Surimi Technician jack of trade.

Surimi Technician Mechanical Knowles , is an advantages.

Know the Fish and the area of fishing.

Resident fish and traveling fish?

Wash tanks use

Pumps speed

Agitators and it use.

Refining technique

Water usage and what it does…

Recovery water how safe….

Salt water how to use it and when…

Things of the Screw presses

Different season and fish quality in today industry.