Abstract

OLIVARES, Fabiola; DE LAS HERAS, Cristina; SOLAS, María Teresa  and  TEJADA, Margarita. Effect of the mechanical separation of muscles on the retention and viability of Anisakis larvae during the production of surimi. Ecol. apl. [online]. 2013, vol.12, n.2, pp.133-139. ISSN 1726-2216.

Surimi, a deboned, minced and washed fish muscle, is generally used as a raw material in the preparation of a variety of products, the consumption of which has increased over the years. During the preparation of surimi or surimi products, applied freezing or heating is sufficient to kill Anisakis larvae; however the presence of dead larvae can still cause allergic symptoms in sensitized consumers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence and viability of A. simplex larvae in the minced muscle and their retention in the sieves after pressing the infested muscle through individual (simulation of mincing) or successive sieves (simulation of mincing and refining) with different hole diameters. Fresh hake fillets (Merluccius merluccius) infested with A. simplex live larvae (20 larvae/100 g muscle) (controlled infestation) and a mixture of frozen thawed hake belly flaps with a heavy infestation (average 90 larvae/100 g of muscle) (natural infestation) were used and the presence of larvae in the fresh minced muscle and the retention of larvae in the sieves were measured. The yield of minced muscle obtained after sieving, ranged from 60 to 80% depending on the sieve used as well as the raw material. The percentage of entire larvae (alive or dead) in the minced muscle decreased significantly at lower hole´s diametesr and after passing through successive sieves. The high content of broken larvae found might indicate a higher spread of antigens larvae in the sieved muscle.

Keywords : Anisakis simplex; mechanical separation; surimi.

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