No. 2 (1921) REMARKS ON CANNING IO7 



children, thoroughly washed in pure (sea) water by being placed 

 in a basket which is then agitated in a vat, and thence removed 

 to the bath of saturated brine where they remain from 20 to 30 

 minutes according to their size and the judgment of the maistry. 

 It is well, especially when fish have been caught by the odam net, 

 large and small together, that they should be sorted so that the 

 brining, drying, etc., shall be suited to the several sizes; it is 

 obvious that the large ones require more salting and more drying 

 and more frying than the small ones ; moreover there is less 

 trouble in packing if the fish are graded. Some French canners 

 recommended an addition of ' Neutraline ' (which is simply 

 sodium sulphite) to this bath, and there can be no reasonable 

 objection in the Indian climate ; better a minute amount of innocu- 

 ous preservative than the toxins of incipient putrefaction. This 

 precaution has not, however, been used at Beypore. But under 

 conditions which necessitate delay in packing, very hot weather, 

 etc., the method is harmless and even desirable. Sodium hypo- 

 chlorite would seem preferable, as it turns to common salt in acting 

 on organic matter. Some canners throw the fish into the brine 

 bath (with or without the above preservative) immediately on 

 arrival at the cannery and before gutting ; this has the advantage 

 of tending to keep off the progress of taint during the subsequent 

 work of gutting, and also makes the fish firmer to handle. But 

 with Indian fish a longer time would then have to be given for 

 brining, since the salt penetrates with more difficulty into a fish 

 undecapitated and gutted and provided with scale armour; when 

 beheaded and gutted salt penetrates rapidly. Moreover if the 

 fish have been in a bath of weak 5 per cent brine and preservative 

 while in the boat, brining before gutting is unnecessary. 



151. Thence they are thrown on to tables and rapidly ranged 

 in the grilles, which are then pla"^ced (either hung on scaffolds or 

 supported on 'flakes') on the drying grounds or in a drying room 

 heated by currents of air provided by a fan or in other ways ; this 

 operation needs care, since over-drying in the sun blanches the fish 

 and spoils their appearance ; it is only necessary to drive off the 

 external moisture resulting from the brining and thus reduce the 

 time and cost of the frying. 



152. When sufficiently dried the grilles are taken to the frying 

 room and placed on a rack closed to the frier. This frying opera- 

 tion is most important and somewhat costly. The object is to firm 



