Canning and Fish Packaging Technology

Unit 7 - Fish Packaging

7.3.1.Protection and preservation
Protection and preservation of the product during transit, storage, display at the point of sale and carriage to and storage in the consumers home are essential functions of any package. In order to protect the product, we need to know the following product characteristics.

• Mechanical strength of the product.
• Whether the product undergoes undesirable moisture exchange with its surroundings.
• Whether it supports microbial growth
• Whether it is chemically reactive.

Protecting means prevention of

• Microbial growth
• Oxidation or enzymatic rancidity
• Colour change.

Preservation can be taken more widely to relate to prevention of any change in food as presented to the consumer. Thus loss of color or flavor, for whatever reason will be interpreted by the consumer as evidence of spoilage.