Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Shrimp Quality and Safety
Shrimp farmers must be aware of the current regulatory expectations in
their country and in the countries where their shrimp will be sold and
consumed. The regulatory authorities in most nations are assigned to protect
the “safety” of their consumers. Most countries have specifi c regulations to
assure food safety for products produced in or imported into the country.
In many instances, these food safety regulations also involve or infl uence
product quality. Regulatory expectations will be based on judgments and
measures for both shrimp safety and quality (Otwell et al., 2001).
Shrimp quality and safety are closely related. A food with poor quality
due to bacterial spoilage could be considered safe to eat if it is cooked to
eliminate any safety concerns, but the poor quality is often considered an
indirect measure for product safety. Likewise, an apparently good quality
aquaculture could cause illness if it is contaminated with a potential food
hazard that is not obviously based on quality judgments. Regulatory
authorities should try to distinguish certain safety problems. For example,
farmed shrimp could be unsafe to eat if:
1) the shrimps are contaminated with certain types or amounts of
pathogenic bacteria;
2) the shrimps contain excessive amounts of food additives or improper
food additives;
3) the shrimps contain pesticides, herbicides or other potential toxic
chemicals introduced during pond culture; or
4) the shrimps contain improper amounts or type of therapeutic
chemicals used during pond culture.
Areas of Concern for Shrimp Quality and Safety
The traditional regulatory approach has been to set various guidelines
or tolerances that ensure a safe product. These standards are usually
enforced by inspection of products after they are processed, combined
with occasional inspections of the processing facilities to enforce good
manufacture practices (GMP). The GMP's include some basic sanitation
requirements that are usually designed for processing. Good aquaculture
practices (GAP's) are introduced to include farming activities linked with
processing.
