﻿ix, d, i Seale: Fish and Fishery Products 13 



chips and almost as tasteless, while on others they were all that 

 could be desired. 



I venture to state that this difference in the cold-storage foods 

 was due almost entirely to a lack of understanding on the part 

 of the engineer in charge of the refrigeration, a condition en- 

 tirely inexcusable, considering the amount of information avail- 

 able and the numerous good books that have been published on 

 the subject of cold storage. With the exception of salmon, hali- 

 but, and perhaps two or three other species, fish should never be 

 frozen if it can possibly be avoided. A fish that has been fully 

 frozen has a good appearance, and it is only when it is thawed 

 out and cooked that its poor condition is revealed, the flesh 

 being woolly in appearance, dry, and devoid of flavor. This is 

 explained by the fact that fish flesh is largely made up of loosely 

 bound, pale, muscular fibers which rupture very easily when 

 frozen in contrast to the firmly bound red muscles of beef or 

 mutton. Also, fish contain a much larger percentage of water 

 than beef or mutton; therefore, freezing has a more disastrous 

 effect. 



Regarding the proper degree of cold at which fish should be 

 kept, there is considerable difference of opinion among experts. 

 The Director of the Insular Cold Storage plant recommends a 

 temperature of — 9°.4 C. for fish in Manila. The director of the 

 Philippine Cold Stores states as a result of his experience that 

 fish keep nicely in Manila at a temperature of from —6°. 7 to 

 —3°. 9 C. This is also the opinion of the manager of the Inter- 

 national Cold Stores. On the other hand, Mr. Heron, who has 

 large cold stores and steam trawlers operating for the London 

 trade, says: 



I am firmly of the opinion that if fish is required to be kept for a 

 considerable period it must not be frozen, as the tissues cannot stand the 

 freezing as in the case of beef and mutton. 



He fully agrees with Anderson 8 who states in his recommen- 

 dations to the Fishery Board of Scotland that — 



he found that from degrees centigrade to —3 centigrade (32 degrees 

 Fahrenheit to 25.6 degrees Fahrenheit) will prevent the action of most 

 bacteria of purification and at the same time maintain the fish in a con- 

 dition of rigor, and thus preserve the fish for a considerable time in a 

 comparative fresh condition, and with little deterioration in the tissue. 



My own experience indicates that in Manila a round fish with 

 the ordinary market handling, if placed in the refrigerative 



8 Proc. Cold Storage & Ice Assoc. England (1909), 9, 81. 



