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Virginia Sea Grant funded research

Develop, Evaluate and Characterize Different Package Types on the Quality, Shelf life and Market Acceptability of Pasteurized and Fresh Crab Meat

Michael Jahncke, Robert Lane, Dan Kauffman, Helen Sutton (Virginia Tech)

Objectives during year 1 include: (1) Determine shelf-life of pasteurized crab meat in the new APT tub and Cryovac tray versus traditional can, King Plastic™ tub, and pouch by conducting an accelerated temperature study at 38 (3°C), 45 (7°C) and 49oF (9°C) using microbiological analysis (i.e., total aerobic and total anaerobic plate counts, total and fecal coliforms); (2) Determine the shelf life of fresh crab meat in the new Cryovac tray and the APT tub package with 10,000 OTR film at 38 (3°C) versus the traditional snap-on lid fresh cup by microbiological analysis (i.e., total aerobic and total anaerobic plate counts, total and fecal coliforms); (3) Characterize and identify surviving bacteria (Microbial Identification System method); (4) Determine sensory characteristics of packaged crab meat using a trained sensory panel; (5) Compare sensory evaluations of crab meat by a trained sensory panel with electronic nose; and (6) Evaluate package and film physical properties (Cryovac, Inc., Ross Industry and APT). Objectives during year 2 include: (1) Continue shelf life evaluations of the crab meat; (2) Continue evaluation of sensory characteristics using sensory panels and electronic nose; (3) Conduct regional consumer focus groups; (4) Conduct industry acceptance survey at the Boston Seafood Show; (5) Conduct a commercial size packaging run; (6) Determine production procedures and costs, and compare these to conventional packaging; (7) Conduct retail market tests; (8) Write final report.

Analyses will be conducted in triplicate and the entire study will be replicated three times using three separate batches of local, commercially handpicked special crabmeat. Containers of each type of pasteurized crab meat will be stored at 38 (3°C), 45 (7°C), and 49oF (9°C). Local hand-picked Special crab meat will be packed in traditional snap-on fresh cups and compared versus the Cryovac SimpleSteps tray sealed with a 10K OTR film.  On days 0, 3, 9, and 12 triplicate containers of each package type will be sampled and analyzed for aerobic and anaerobic total plate counts. The identification of specific isolates will be identified using the Sherlock Microbial Identification System (MIS, Microbial ID, Inc. [MDI], Newark, DE).  This system, as any other identification method, may not be able to identify all species, but all genera identification is highly probable.  Corresile and semi-volatile compounds by Electronic Nose at VA Tech. Crab ptive analysis using a trained sensory panel at the VA Tech Seafood AREC and correlated with the Electronic Nose and Z-nose instruments.  Retail marketing tests will also be conducted in two locations in Washington, DC, and two other sites in Virginia Hamp Tech Seafood AREC).  Color analyses will be de25-Jan-2008;    A trained sensory panel will be used to identify and describe sensory characteristics of the different packaged crab meat products.  Consumer focus group studies will be conducted at the VSAREC in Hampton addressing consumer attitudes and opinions concerning the new packages for fresh and pasteurized crab meat.  In addition, an industry focus group session addressing the new package types will also be conducted at the Boston Seafood Show.  A small scale market test will be conducted to evaluate the best of the new package types versus King Plastic in two markets in Washington, D.C. area and two markets in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area.

Studies to improve seafood product quality/safety or lead to the development of value added products for the industry.  To improve the economic competitiveness of the mid-Atlantic blue crab processing industry, and provide consumers with an alternative, more cost effective, value added new package type that will increase the market share for pasteurized and fresh crab meat. A new package can invigorate an established product by offering benefits that the original package does not provide.  For example, introduction of the tuna pouch into the marketplace allowed StarKistTM  to capture 11-12% of the $1.5 billion U.S. canned tuna category.  More specific to this project, a Maryland seafood retailer stated that our new proposed film and package types (if successful) will outsell his existing packaged crab meat products by 2 to 1.  In addition, survival of the blue crab processing industry in the U.S. is dependent on production of high quality domestic product and development of new value-added products and new packaging methods.  We realize that foreign crab meat may also be put into innovative package types, but the domestic industry must get out in front of these competitors to increase and/or maintain their market share through new innovative approaches.  However, the domestic industry cannot do this on their own due to the high cost and inherent risks associated with uncertain package integrity characteristics and unknown consumer demand.