FHF Project: 901724

FHF Project: Microbiological quality of whitefish roe

NORWAY
Thursday, August 11, 2022, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

Roe from whitefish is a product that many people are familiar with, but knowledge of how roe should be processed and looked after is less well known. What affects the quality of roe and what is particularly important to remember in order to avoid quality deterioration?

Roe is a by-product that throughout history has been consumed fresh, immediately after cooking, or after processing; drying, canning, freezing or sugar salting for various caviar products. Roe contains high levels of fat and protein and is therefore a rich medium for microbial growth which can cause the product to acquire undesirable properties. This makes the need for fast and correct processing great, so that the quality is maintained as best as possible. The aim of this project has been to get an overview of research-based studies on the microbiological quality of roe products from cod, roe crackers, pollock and ling.

From top to bottom: Cod roe - A sexually mature skrei can have approximately 200,000 eggs per kg of its own body weight | An aperitif with roe biscuit roe | Roe from Lange (Credit: Nofima) --->

​FHF believes the utility value of the project is great as the utilization and sale of roe products can constitute an important source of income for the whitefish industry. Knowledge of the effect of preservation is important to be able to meet the requirements that buyers place on microbiological quality. As of today, there is little available research documentation on roe products from cod, roe crackers, pollock and ling. As a result, the industry has little to show in relation to customer demands and complaints. The results from the project will have a clear economic benefit in, for example, the design of product specifications.

The fishing industry has long traditions of oral knowledge transfer, and this also applies to the handling of roe. Central buyers of roe have drawn up recipes that describe how the roe they buy must be handled and preserved. In order to increase knowledge about microbial quality deterioration of roe and how this is affected by handling and preservation, it is suggested that a "best practice protocol" be drawn up that the industry can use in its daily work. Such a protocol can be an additional contribution to the oral tradition of knowledge transfer, as well as knowledge building, and in the long term, be a contribution to improving roe quality.

Author: Stine Falk-Petersen / FHF | Nofima

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