78 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XIII, 



CHAPTER V. 

 Canning Processes. 



90. Before describing the passing of the several classes of 

 fish through the cannery it is well to describe in detail the 

 several processes common to all, with their objects and method ; 

 this will avoid repetition and render the subsequent narrative 

 intelligible. 



These processes are — 



(1) Gutting, washing (and slicing if necessary). 



(2) Brining. 



(3) Drying. 



(4) Frying. 



(5) Packing. 



(6) Closing (sealing). 



(7) Testing. 



(8) Exhausting. 



(9) Processing (cooking). 



(10) Observation, lacquering, and storing. 



91. (l) Gutting, etc. — This preliminary is essential and urgent 



especially in India where fish are never gutted - even large ones — in 



the boats, where there is often delay in bringing in the fish, and 



where taint rapidly follows death. In order to hasten operations it 



is well to buy by weight or gauged baskets rather than by count as 



is sometimes done ; this also minimises handling. Gutting may 



be carried out on piece work, but in Beypore, the women and 



children who mostly gut the fish, are paid by the hour, and they 



work hard because employment is desirable. Gutting, which 



always includes decapitation, is carried out on tables (see 



paragraph 55); if the fish are sardines and in spawn, the roes 



should be kept in the fish ; with the larger fish it is usual to remove 



the roes and milts and to can or cure them separately. The 



gutted fish are thrown into baskets and sluiced in a tub or tank 



by shaking the whole baskets and contents in the water; this 



rapidly and effectually cleanses the fish which are then turned 



over for brining. Large fish have to be sliced for canning : this is 



best effected in ordinary canneries by a guillotine slicer (paragraph 



56 supra) which, when set to the required gauge, shears the fish 



