Discusses various aspects of designing and building cold storage facilities. Addresses some of the points to help processors formulate ideas, plans, and questions as they deal with contractors and suppliers. Written for seafood processors in the cold storage planning stage.

Seafood processors will want a copy of this book, to guide them through the planning and building stages of a cold store unit and to use as a reference for storage times and conditions for seafoods. Written by veteran researchers in seafood science and refrigeration, the manual addresses everything from choosing the building site to designing the shelving, including costs.

For years, the Oregon fishing industry has argued that the lack of coastal cold storage designed to handle seafood has severely limited the opportunity to develop value-added products and retain seafood industry employment. Once landed, the majority of Oregon seafood spends little time on the coast, and a large portion of that seafood is stored in facilities along the I-5 corridor from Eugene to Bellingham. Many of these facilities are designed to hold agricultural and livestock products that do not have the same storage temperature requirements as seafood. Interest in coastal cold storage development has ranged from a relatively small walk-in cold store designed for a fishermen's cooperative; a relatively small cold storage warehouse serving a value-added processor; and a relatively large cold storage warehouse designed for a diverse set of products that may be managed by a port authority. This range of interest makes a single feasibility study inappropriate for the majority of interested parties. By using readily available software and collecting necessary cost data, a regionally-based economic simulation model was developed to help interested parties explore the economic feasibility of various cold storage development scenarios. Further efforts integrated the model with research on frozen Pacific whiting surimi to provide a framework for designing cold stores for optimal temperatures. This model serves as an exploratory tool to support rural coastal communities in their economic development efforts by providing community leaders with analytical power and a cost-effective alternative to hiring outside analysts.

Most of the exquisite quality of fresh fish can be retained in frozen product with proper handling, freezing, and storage. This manual helps seafood processors plan seafood freezing operations, in order to maintain that quality. The book addresses the physics of freezing, the selection of equipment, and the important food science concepts. The audience is plant managers and engineers, refrigeration contractors, seafood process planners, investors and bankers, and extension educators and advisors. The sections on equipment and facilities explore options and give information that will help the reader make good decisions. Author Ed Kolbe, contributes engineering expertise, and Don Kramer offers knowledge of optimum seafood quality, both based on decades of academic and extension accomplishments.

This document is intended to serve as a background paper as well as an introduction to the operations and equipment used in the freezing and cold storage of fish both on shore and at sea. It gives a broad outline on how deterioration of fish quality can be reduced by the application of low temperatures. It reviews various types of freezing equipment for use ashore or at sea; the requirements for cold stores and their construction; the factors affecting cold storage conditions, etc. In addition, the publication describes the methods used to calculate cold storage refrigeration loads as well as the costs of freezing and cold storage. Safe operation of cold stores is also covered. A list of publications on the subject is given in the list of references.

Fish and seafood are highly perishable, and must be preserved immediately after being caught or harvested. It is very important both to preserving its quality and to ensure that it does not pose any risks to human health upon consumption. Chilling, refrigeration and freezing are the major preservation methods used with seafood and fish products, all three processes aiming to preserve the freshness and flavour of the fish. Consumer demand for fish remains high despite escalating prices in the last ten years which have seen the retail cost of the most popular breeds (cod, haddock, salmon) more than double for unfrozen fish. Many consumers appear to be willing to pay a premium for freshness and quality, both of which are closely linked in shoppers’ minds with the efficient chilling and refrigeration of the fish along the supply chain. At the same time, frozen fish and seafood has also grown more popular with shoppers, as a cheaper, more convenient alternative to refrigerated fresh fish and seafood. Seafood Chilling, Refrigeration and Freezing presents the science behind the chilling, refrigerating and freezing of fish and seafood, describing the chemical, microbiological and physical changes which take place during preservation, and considering the new technologies which can be used, highlighting their benefits and their economic implications. The book takes account of the different requirements for different breeds of fish and seafood, and includes both traditional and novel technologies, providing both current and future perspectives. It will be required reading for food scientists, fish processors and retailers as well as fish specialists, researchers and process designers.

Part of the new IFST Advances in Food Science Series, Seafood Processing: Technology, Quality and Safety covers the whole range of current processes which are applied to seafood, as well as quality and safety aspects. The first part of the book (‘Processing Technologies’) covers primary processing, heating, chilling, freezing, irradiation, traditional preservation methods (salting, drying, smoking, fermentation, etc), frozen surimi and packaging. The subjects of waste management and sustainability issues of fish processing are also covered. In the second part (‘Quality and Safety Issues’), quality and safety analysis, fish and seafood authenticity and risk assessment are included.