Module 1 Lesson 1

Learning Objectives
 Identify the importance of concept of cutting fish processing.
 Recognize the proper cutting of fish
 Value and apply the importance of cleaning fish
Introduction
Hello my dear students! Welcome to this lesson, in this lesson you will learn how to cut
and clean fishes, and also you will learn how long can fish or meat be process in an easy way.
Enjoy learning!

Activity

Before you read our topic for today, answer the 2 questions first:

1. Why do we need to clean the fish first before we cut it?

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2. In your own observation in your home and in the supermarket, what are their procedure
when they are cutting fishes?
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Analysis

1. What can you say about your answer in your activity? Is it easy or not?
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2. Have ever experience the proper procedure of cutting fish?

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Abstraction

In times of scarcity, preserved foods can be a welcome addition to the diet. Through
preservation, sales of out of season products are possible and prices asked are independent of the
usually lower market prices during the harvest season. The emphasis is to inform farmers on how
to process and store their surplus economically. This practical manual reviews the simple
techniques used to preserve fish and meat. It gives guidelines for several preservation techniques.
The methods described and the results achieved can, of course, differ locally. The general
introduction deals with the principles of preventing spoilage. Next, the various methods of
preserving foods are explained and the main aspects of spoilage relevant to each method are
covered. Special attention is given to the question of which method to choose given the local
conditions. The following topics are discussed: salting, drying and smoking of fish and meat;
fermentation of fish; canning of fish and meat; and cooling and freezing fish and meat. Each
method is described as practically as possible, including descriptions of the required materials
and techniques.

Description

Preservation is the processing of foods so that they can be stored longer. Since most
products are readily available only during certain seasons of the year and because fresh food
spoils quickly, methods have been developed to preserve foods. Preserved foods can be eaten
long after fresh products spoil. With the growth of towns, the need to preserve foods longer has
increased as populations are no longer able to grow their own vegetables nor keep animals.

Though the consumption of fresh foods is always preferable, as preservation usually

decreases the nutritional value, preservation must be seen as a way of storing excess foods that
are abundantly available at certain times of the year, so that they can be consumed in times when
food is scarce.

Storage life and spoilage

1.1 How long can fish or meat be kept?

Fresh fish will spoil very quickly. Once the fish has been caught, spoilage progresses
rapidly. In the high ambient temperatures of the tropics, fish will spoil within 12 hours. Using
good fishing techniques (to ensure the fish is barely damaged) and cooling the fish, with the help
of ice, can increase the storage life of fresh fish.

The speed with which meat spoils not only depends on hygiene conditions and storage
temperature, but also on the acidity of the meat and the structure of the muscular tissue. The firm
muscular tissue of beef, for example, spoils less quickly than the liver. Hygienic slaughtering and
clean handling of the carcass have a positive effect on storage life. After slaughtering, the meat
should be preserved as quickly as possible.

1.2 When has fish or meat gone bad?

Spoilage is the deterioration of food which makes it taste and smell bad (e.g. when it is
sour, rotten or mouldy) and/or makes it a carrier of diseases. Properties of spoiled fish compared
to fresh fish are:

 strong odor;
 dark-red gills with slime on them instead of bright red ones;
 soft flesh with brown traces of blood instead of firm flesh with red blood; and
 red, milky pupils without slime instead of clear ones.

The onset of spoilage in meat is seen by changes in color, among other things. Typical
spoilage smells also develop (such as a rotten egg smell).
Spoiled food, when consumed, can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach pains, nausea and
vomiting, and stomach infections or cramps. In very serious cases it can cause death.

In fish and meat, there are key things to consider:

1.2.1 Microbiological spoilage caused by bacteria

Bacteria are single-celled micro-organisms that are invisible to the naked eye. They
break down the wastes and bodies of dead organisms. Some cause severe illness. Under
favorable conditions, microbiological spoilage starts quickly in fresh and non-acidic products
such as fish and meat. Bacteria from the animal’s skin or intestines can rapidly reproduce. This
form of spoilage will be explained in greater detail below.

1.2.2 Autolytic spoilage caused by enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that assist biological reactions, e.g. the conversion of certain
organic substances into different ones. When fish or animals are killed, the enzymes inside them
are still intact. Those enzymes start breaking down components into smaller parts. This affects
smell, taste and texture. Several hours after death ‘rigor mortis’ occurs (a stiffening of the flesh).
After that, the flesh gets softer again due to enzymatic reactions (autolysis). Heat treatment (e.g.
pasteurization) can inactivate enzymes.

1.2.3 Fat oxidation

With fatty fish or meat, chemical reactions can take place between the fat and oxygen in
the air (oxidation reactions). By exposing these products for a long time to air (e.g. during drying
and smoking), the product acquires a rancid smell and taste. It is, therefore, better to use less
fatty kinds of pieces of fish or meat for smoking and drying.

1.3 Which micro-organisms cause spoilage?

Not all micro-organisms cause spoilage. Some cause desirable changes in fish and meat.
An example of this is the fermentation of fish, for example resulting in fish pastes or sauces.
These changes are caused by useful micro-organisms, of which there are thousands of kinds.
Micro-organisms are usually not visible to the naked eye, which means that serious infections
and food poisoning can be caused without the food being visibly changed.
Bacteria can grow in fresh foods (meat, fish, milk, vegetables) which are not acidic. Some
bacteria can cause infections and poisoning as well as spoilage. A number of bacteria can form
spores which are less easily destroyed by preservation techniques. They can start to grow again
after insufficient heat treatment.

1.4 Spoilage and/or fish and meat poisoning

Bacteria can only cause rotting if, after contamination of the fish and meat, the bacteria
are also able to grow in the fish and meat. The following factors influence the growth of bacteria
and the speed with which rotting takes place.

1.4.1 Damage

The skin of fish and meat, for example, is protection against bacterial growth in the flesh.
By damaging the skin, which functions as a barrier, nutrients are released. Bacteria can enter the
flesh and start to grow.

1.4.2 Water content (internal water content and humidity)

Fish consists of, on average, 70 percent water. In fatty fish, this percentage is about 65
percent and in lean fish about 80 percent. Beef consists of 65 percent and pork of 60 percent
water on average. With such high levels of internal moisture, bacteria can grow rapidly. Meat
forms a protective layer on the flesh as a result of drying out at low humidity. A film of
condensation is formed on cold meat lying in warm surroundings, which is a good medium for
bacteria and molds.

Preparation
2.1.1 Catching and preparing fresh fish

As fish spoils very quickly, measures must already be taken on board the fishing boat to
limit spoilage. First of all, the fish must immediately be kept out of the saltwater so that the fish
does not get contaminated by bacteria in the saltwater.

Apart from preventing contamination, one should also prevent the outgrowth of bacteria
that are already present. The best way is to remove the intestines and gills of the fish onboard the
fishing boat. After that, the fish must be washed with clean water to rinse off any blood or other
remains. It is recommended to transport the fish on ice to shore. However, cleaning and
transporting the fish on ice is often difficult and expensive to realize. All that can be done then is
to transport the fish as quickly and carefully as possible to the shore. To prevent the bacteria in
the intestines, liver, gills and on the skin of the fish from increasing, the fish must be kept in a
clean boat and in the shade.

2.1.2 Cleaning fish

To clean fish, first of all, good and clean tools are needed. Personal hygiene is also
important. It is important that the fish is not cleaned on the ground but on a clean table or bench.
The table should be at working height and can be made of wood, metal or concrete. The surface
of the table must be smooth and easy to clean. It is also handy to clean the fish on a cutting board
so that the table is not damaged.

Knives are the most important tools for cleaning fish. Short knives are used for small
kinds of fish, long flexible knives to fillet larger kinds of fish and a thick, strong knife to cut
open large fish. The knives must be sharp.

To salt, dry and smoke fish, it is important that the surface area of the fish be increased.
Then the salt and smoke particles can penetrate easily into the fish and moisture can work its
way out. The method used to clean fish depends primarily on the size and kind of fish.

 With very small kinds of fish, such as anchovies, sardines and others smaller than 10 cm,
usually, only the intestines are removed. Whether or not this is done depends on local customs
and the purpose for which the fish is to be used. For some fermentation processes, the
intestines are not removed.
 Fish larger than 15 cm is, apart from being cleaned, also cut crosswise so that the surface area
of the fish is increased and the flesh becomes less thick. Preservation methods work faster with
a larger surface area of the flesh.
 In addition to cleaning and splitting fish that are larger than 25 cm, one also makes extra cuts in
the flesh. Sometimes the fish are cut into chunks or completely filleted.

The way in which the fish are cleaned depends not only on the size of the fish but also on
the wishes of the consumer. Some consumers, for example, want the fish with its head intact
while others especially want it cut off. The last thing to be discussed is a brief description of
how to gut, split and fillet fish.
2.1.3 Gutting and scaling (Figure 1)

 Place the fish on a clean board and hold it by its head. Scrape the scales off starting at the
tail and working towards the head. Try not to damage the skin of the fish while doing so.
 Wash the fish in clean (drinking) water and remove all loose scales.
 Lay the fish on its side on a clean board and cut into the fish along its gills with a sharp
knife. Do the same on the other side but do not cut the head off.
 Cut the gills free by cutting the ends free from the head and body with the point of the
knife.
 Slit the abdominal wall open from the anal opening towards the head of the fish. Cut deep
enough but try not to damage the intestines of the fish.
 When the fish has been opened up, the gills and intestines can be removed by placing
one’s fingers under the gills and pulling everything out.
 Scrape any remaining blood out with the knife.
 Clean the abdominal wall with clean (drinking) water.

Figure 1. Gutting and scaling of fish

1.4 Splitting (Figure 2)

Small and medium-sized fish (Figure 2A)

 Place the fish on a clean board with its back facing you and its head to the right if you are
right-handed. Slit the fish open down the middle from the head to the tail, along the middle
fishbone, but do not cut into the underbelly.
 Open the fish and remove the intestines and gills. Wash the fish thoroughly with clean
(drinking) water.

Large fish (Figure 2B)

 Extra cuts are made in the flesh of large fish to increase the surface area and to decrease the
thickness of the fish.
 Place the fish on a clean board, with the abdominal side facing you and the head to the right
if you are right-handed. Make a cut in the fish from the gill arch to the tail so that a strip of
fish-flesh is left.
 Turn the fish over and open it up. The strip of flesh must remain attached at the back.
  Place the fish with its head to the right and the abdominal side facing you. Split the head
open and cut towards the tail so that the second strip of flesh is formed. In doing so, the
abdomen is also cut open.
 Open the fish and remove its intestines and gills. Then wash with clean (drinking) water.

Figure 2. (A) Splitting of small fish, (B) splitting of large fish

1.5 Filleting (Figure 3)

Figure 3. Filleting of fish

2.2 Butchering

Only a brief description of how to butcher livestock is given here. The storage life of
consumer meat and meat products depends on the quality of fresh meat. Meat must, therefore, be
as clean as possible after being butchered so that microbial decay is avoided. The chemical
reactions which occur are also important. After being killed, the animal is hung upside down so
that the blood can drain from the carcass. After bleeding dry, the head can be removed.
Subsequently, the hooves and the hide are removed from most kinds of animals. After a thorough
inspection of visible abnormalities, the carcass can be divided into four parts and each part can
be hung up.

Pigs, after being killed, hung up and bled, are heated so that the hide with the hairs can be
scraped off. The butchering of sheep and goats is comparable to that of pigs. It is best after
butchering to store the parts of the carcass in cooling cells. However, as cooling facilities are
often absent, the meat must be consumed or processed as quickly as possible (within several
hours).

Application

I. Explain the importance of Storage life and spoilage and the proper preparation of fish.

Storage life and

Preparation of fish
Spoilage

II. What is the importance of catching and cutting fish? How it helps to the fishermen?
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