CHAPTER V "- PROCESSING 



ABSTRACT 



TufJA PLANTS GENERALLY FACE ON A DOCK WHERE FISH CAN BE UNLOADED FROM THE 

 FISHING VESSEL, C^Ni^lERY SPACE BDJACErn" TO THE DOCK USU^J-LY HOUSES THAWING AND 

 BUTCHERING FACILITIES, AND COLD STORAGE SPACE, WHEN AVAILABLE. PRE-COOKERS, AND 

 SOIiCTIMES RETORTS, ORDINARILY ADJOIN THIS AREA. CLEANING AND PACKING L!I«S ARE 

 USUALLY LOCATED BEHIND THE PRE-COOKERS. THE LABELING AND PACKING ROOM IS OFTEN 

 LOCATED ON THE FLOOR .ftBCVE. ORDINARILY RAIL FACILITIES ARE AVAILAS_E AT THE REAR. 



Fish ARE carried from the vessel to the plant either by sluices OR BY PUSH 

 CARTS, AT© ARE WEIGHED BETWEEN UNLOADING FROM THE VESSEL AND ARRIVAL IN THE CANNERY. 

 COWEVINQ OF FISH IS ORDINARILY HANDLED IN A HIGHLY EFFICIENT MANNER WITH LITTLE 

 CHANCE FOR I MPROVEMENfT . 



Tuna tf^E thawed in running water in thawinq tanks, or )n air with or without 

 sprays of water. Thawin'q time varies from a few mini/tes for nearly thawed fish to 

 overnight for kard-frozen ones^ Thawing oper.utions require very little labor, ano 



little if AN\' improvement in EFFICIENCY IS POSSIBLE. 



Tuna are butchered on small, stationary or movable tables, usually equipped 

 with a movrks belt, by fsom 3 to 10 or more MSfj. One man generally slits open the 



fish, REMOVItJQ THE V!3:.ERAj A SECO.^ MAN WASHES AND SMELLS THE FISH, AND A THIRD 

 MAN PLACES THE FISH |.\ THE PhHCOOK 8A\a;F.TS. IN LARGER PLANTS TWO SUCH CREWS MAY 

 OPERATE. ADCniCNA. MEN HANDLE SLUICE GATES AND SEPARATE LIVERS FROM THE VISCERA. 

 THE BUTCHERING OPERATION IS CONDUCTED VERY' EFFICIENTLY AT A COST RARELY EXCEEDING 

 ♦2.00 TO 13,00 PER ION OF FISH, 



BurCHEREO FISri ARE LOADED INTO WIRE MESH BASKETS ACCORDING TO SIZE. BA3<ETS 

 OF FISH OF ONLY ONE SIZE GROUP ARE /WRANQEO ON WHEELED RACKS, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 

 700 POUNDS PER RACK,, AND PLtSMED INTO THE PRECOOKERS. A PBECOOKER USUALLY HOLDS 

 ABOUT THREE TO FIVE TONS. FlSH APE COOKED AT 2(6° - 220 F. FROM ;.i/2 TO 10 

 HOl^S DEPENDING UPON THE SI2E. CAREFUL GRADING Of" FISH BY SIZE WITHIN ANY ONE 

 COOK£R MU-II'VIIZES VHE CO.KiNO PROBLEMS, PLANTS GIVING ADEQUATE ATTENTION TC THIS 

 POINT OBTAIN 3|QIJIFICANTwY BE'TER YIELC'S, AS cOSSES AS HIGH AS 30 PERCENT MAY 

 OCCUR DURING COOKIriG AND SUBSEQUENT COOLING. iF THE PRECOOK 13 SHORTENED TOO 

 MUCH, THE FISH ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO CLEAN PROPERLYj, AND SHRINK EXCESSIVELY IN 

 THE CAN. 



Cooked fish are thorougk,v cooled before cleaning, generally overnight in a 

 screened roocnt-proof room vwioh, may be air-conditioned and temperature coirfhouled. 



Precooked and ccoled twa are usually cleaned on a cofwevoR belt at work inq 



TABLE LEVEL, IN THE LAR&ER ?>LA>CS THERE MAY BE 9 TABLES WITH 50 TO 75 CLEANERS 

 AT EACH TASLE. A FISH IS CLEANED INTO QUARTERS OR LOINS, FLA<ES, SUITABLE FOR 

 PACKING, ARE collected AT ItTTERVALS. WORKERS ARE PAID EITHER ON AN HOURLY OR 



piece-work basis. 



The bltcherinq and cleani'* operations are the only ones in the entire canning 



PROCESS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN MECHA( .' I ZED „ ThE I INDUSTRY IS WOFKtNQ ON SEVERAL NEW 

 PROCESSES TO MECKAM2E, PARTIALLY OR W-iOLLV, THE CLEANING OPERATION. ONE OR MORE 

 OF THEM, IIF7E.F( FURTHER OEVELOFMEtsT/t, WOR>., MA-' PROVE TO BE PRACTICAL, AND WILL 

 PROBABLY MATERUU.V REDUCE THE COST OF PROCESSING TUNA, 



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