Studies on the Storage Conditions for the Preservation of Dried Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba)

Abstract

Dried whole krills processed in various ways are important as food materials like the peeled meat or "surimi" meat. Since their quality changes comparatively rapidly, the amount of dried krill produced is rather small. Various tests were carried out for preservation of the krills prepared on board in the Antarctic Ocean during two fishing seasons in 1977 and 1978. Two types of dried whole krills, depending on the moisture content, namely half dried (moisture content of about 30%) and fully dried (moisture content 3%) were prepared and stored in pouches separately under various conditions. The krills stored at a freezing temperature of -25°C--30°C or at room temperature in air tight pouches containing an oxygen absorbent showed satisfactory results. The krills stored at a temperature of 2°C-5°C or soaked with antioxidants (tocopherol or sodium erythorbate) gave poor results. The resisual content of pigments was found to be an indicator of the quality of the product in these experiments. Further, oxygen absorption with five levels of moisture content showed that the higher the moisture content, more rapid was the absorption of oxygen within the pouch.