I.

Course Code : FS 9

II. Course Descriptive Title : Post-Harvest Fisheries

III. Credit Units/Time Frame : 5 Units (9 hours per week)

IV. Course Pre-requisite/s : Microbiology (Biology,

Distribution and Occurrence of
Bacteria, Yeast and Molds)
Chemistry III (Analytical Chemistry)

V. Academic Term and School Year: 1st Sem. SY 2025-2026

SSU Vision

A Transformative University Committed to

Technology, Innovation and Service Excellence.

BOR No. 41 series 2014

SSU Mission

The University shall primarily provide advanced

instruction and professional training in the arts,
philosophy, social sciences, agriculture and fishery,
forestry, science and technology, engineering,
education, law and other related fields. It shall also
undertake research and extension services, and
provide leadership in its areas of specialization.

Sec. 2. R.A. 9313

 COURSE OUTLINE

Midterm
1. Introduction to fish processing technology
2. Salting & Drying methods
3. Chilling and Freezing
4. Marinating/ Pickling
5. Smoking
Lab activity: Deboned bangus
Smoked fish

Final term
6. Canning
7. Fermentation
8. Minced fish processing
9. Sensory evaluation
10. Packaging of fish and fishery products
Lab activity: Fish Canning
Fish sausage, fish ball, etc. (Culminating activity: food fest)
 GRADING SYSTEM
LECTURE: LABORATORY:

Quizzes 25% Character 30%

Assignment 5% Quality of output 20%
Participation/ Recitation 20% Timeliness 10%
Term Paper/ Project 20% Examinations 40%
Midterm and Final Exams 30%

LECTURE: 60%
LABORATORY 40%

MIDTERM: 50%
FINAL TERM: 50%
 INTRODUCTION TO
FISH PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

JERSON C. SORIO, M.SC.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR V
 Aquaculture

Capture fisheries

Aquatic resources
and ecology

Post-Harvest
fisheries
What is fish processing technology?

➢ May be defined as the method of processing

fish and other fishery products after harvesting
the fish to lengthen its shelf-life, by delaying
spoilage due to microorganisms, enzymes, and
physical or mechanical means.

➢ Examples of processing methods: salting,

drying, chilling, freezing, smoking, fermentation
etc.
Importance of Fish Processing Technology

1. Lengthen the shelf-life of fish and other fishery

products.
2. Retains or improves the nutritive values.

Fish is rich in protein and other nutrients.

3. Utilizes fish wastes.
4. Alleviates poverty.
5. Lessen food problem in times of scarcity.
6. Solves unemployment problem of the country.
7. Makes the country self-sufficient through the
exportation of fish and fishery products.
8. Encourages Filipinos as protein-eaters and calcium-
eaters rather than fat-eaters, thus, alleviating
hypertension (high-blood pressure) cases of the
individuals.
9. Helps the country’s program on waste management by recycling-
reusing-reducing fish wastes by utilizing them into fish value-
added products to attain zero fish waste.
Handling of Fresh Aquatic Products

 Avoid exposing the fish to sunlight. If possible, keep them

in a shaded place.

 Ice the fish immediately after they are harvested to lower

their temperature. The proportion of fish to ice is 1:1 (one
part of fish to one part of ice) for long distances, and 2:1
(two parts of fish to one part of ice) to short distances.

 Eviscerate the fish by removing the gills and internal

organs through the operculum.

 Avoid soaking the fish too long in water after death. This
easily spoils the fish.

 Use mechanical refrigeration if these facilities are

available.
General Characteristics of Fresh and Stale/ Spoiled Fish

Fresh fish Stale/ spoiled fish

1. Odor Fishy Foul or sour
2. Gills Bright red Dull
3. Slime
Clear and few on the Cloudy and plenty on the skin
skin
4. Eyes
Clear, transparent, bright Cloudy and sunken
and protruding
5. Flesh
Firm and elastic Soft and finger marks remain
6. Skin and color Shiny and bright Dull and pale
7. Scales
Stick tightly to the skin Loose and easily removed

8. Vent
Pinkish and reddish Brownish
9. pH
6.0 to 7.0 (Neutral) Below 6.0 (acidic)
10. Water test Sink in a basin of Float in a basin of
freshwater freshwater
AGENTS OF SPOILAGE

1. Bacteria - The most difficult to destroy because they are (a) highly resistant to heat; (b) minute
microorganisms and multiply rapidly; (c) grow best in protein foods; and (c) can live in any
temperature (cold, hot, especially in room temperature).

➢ Psychrophlic or psychrophiles– cold-loving bacteria that grow best in best in temperatures of 0 ºC

or lower.

➢ Thermophilic or Thermophiles - heat-loving bacteria that thrive in high temperatures or 45 ºC to 60

ºC.

➢ Aerobic bacteria – bacteria that can thrive/live in the presence of oxygen.

➢ Anaerobic bacteria - bacteria that can thrive/live without the presence of oxygen.

➢ Facultative bacteria- bacteria that can grow/live in either the presence or absence of free oxygen.
2. Molds – They are cottony organisms that are commonly found on the
surface of decaying food.

➢ They are usually found on the surface of smoked and dried fish with
varying colors such as orange, green, black and others.

➢ These agents of spoilage are easy to destroy in boiling temperature

(100ºC) or even lower than boiling temperature.
3. Yeasts – They feed on sugars and are yellowish or whitish on
food surface. They form gas which causes the fishery products
to ferment.

➢ They are easily killed in boiling or simmering temperature.

4. Enzymes – They are chemical substance found in the flesh and
digestive tract of the fish.

➢ They are useful to live fish for they help in the digestion and
conversion of food into waste matter.

➢ But they are harmful when the fish dies because they digest the
tissues which softens and disintegrates the fish.
Stages/Changes of Fish After Death

1. Change of color –The color of the gills, skin, and flesh starts to fade after death. Later on,
if no preservative action is applied to fish, the color becomes pale.

2. Rigor mortis –This occurs a few hours after the death of the fish. Fish in this state are
characterized by the stiffness of the body due to the formation of lactic acid caused by
bacteria.

3. Autolysis – Self-digestion takes place in the muscle tissue of the fish by enzymes due to
continuous digestion even in death. At this time the walls that hold the enzymes can no
longer control the digestion, thus softening of the tissue occurs.

4. Putrefaction –In this state, the fish is spoiled. Their muscle tissues decompose due to
enzymatic and bacterial reactions. Breakdown of protein occurs which result to putrid
odor.
 Ways of Reducing and Destroying
Microorganisms

1. For large fish, rip out the gills and thoroughly wash
the belly cavity with plenty of chlorinated marine
water.

2. If fish are sold in fresh condition and whole or

round form, wash them with refrigerated marine
water.

3. Apply correct icing where each fish is surrounded

with ice.
4. Iced and frozen fish must be eviscerated and
temperature must be maintained. The ideal
temperature for frozen fish is -40ºC where shelf-life of
fish lasts up to one year. In commercial cold storage, a
temperature of 7.22 ºC is enough, but shelf-life lasts
for few days or weeks.

5. If fish are to be processed, all utensils, equipment and

materials used in processing must be properly
cleaned. Processors must be neat and clean.

6. If fish are to be processed by salting, pure salt must

be used; if pickling, distilled vinegar and refined
sugar must be used; if canning, containers such as
glass jars and tin cans must be sterilized before
packing.

7. Fish sauce must be boiled before filtering to remove

microorganisms.
 Market Forms or Cuts of Fish

1. Whole or round. This form has all the fish parts intact. Dried and salted
fish commercially prepared in this form are anchovy (dilis), herring
(tunsoy), sardine (tamban), and slipmouth (sapsap).
2. Drawn. The fish is marketed with only the viscera or internal
organs removed. In removing the internal organs, a cut may or
may not have been made at the center of the belly cavity or the
gills may have been ripped out through the operculum.
3. Dressed. The fish are scaled and eviscerated. The
head, fins and tail are removed.
4. Steaks. This cut is applicable to large sizes of fish where cross-
section slices are made from dressed fish usually three-fourths
(3/4) of an inch (1.91 cm). This is done by cutting crosswise at
right angles of the dressed fish.
5. Split. This is prepared by making a cut down the dorsal side of the
fish, extending from the caudal peduncle to the head, and by running
the edge of a knife along the backbone. The fish are laid open with
intact backbone; but the gills and internal organs are removed.
6. Fillets. When the fleshy portion is cut and is made boneless, they are
called fillets. There are 3 ways of cutting fish into fillets:

6.1 Butterfly fillet. This is made when two fleshy sides of the fish are
cut and joined together by the flesh and skin of the belly
corresponding to two single fillets. The appearance looks like a
butterfly.
6.2 Single fillet. One side of the fish is cut away from the backbone. This is
done by cutting the flesh across down the backbone from behind the
pectoral fin up to the base of the causal peduncle by running the
sharp edge of the knife along the backbone and ribs simultaneously.
6.3 Quarter fillet. This represents one-fourth fillet of the
meat of fish.
7. Sticks. If single fillets are cut into uniform length and
thickness, they are called sticks.
TNX ☺
Explain the following importance
of fish processing technology.

1. Alleviates poverty.
2. Lessen food problem in times
of scarcity.