washed, and sugar and sorbitol are added. The result- 

 ing product is surimi, a protein concentrate that is 

 white, odorless and flavorless. Finally, the surimi is 

 frozen in blocks for storage. 



In this form, the surimi is without food value. It's 

 what happens next that transforms the commodity 

 into something consumers will buy and eat. 



The surimi is chopped and natural shellfish flavor- 

 ings are added. Then the mixture is extruded or 

 molded into shapes, similar to the natural counter- 

 parts, and cooked. 



Why are Americans so taken with an imitation pro- 

 duct? It's possible that they see the same attributes that 

 first captured food scientists' attention. The surimi is 

 molded into products that are high in protein and low 

 in fat, calories and cholesterol. And, the products offer 

 consumers a consistent, high quality product. 



Another big selling point is economics. Surimi- 

 based products sell for a fraction of the cost of the real 

 thing. Alaska king crab legs, for example, were retail- 

 ing in Raleigh supermarkets in January for about $10 

 per pound. But the simulated crab legs retail for about 

 $4.50 per pound. 



Most surimi is made from Alaska pollock, a lean, 

 white-fleshed fish that is abundant and inexpensive. 

 Each year an estimated 3.7 billion pounds are caught 

 by Japanese trawlers in Alaskan waters, shipped to 

 Japan to be made into surimi, and the surimi or surimi 

 products are shipped back to the United States. 



Now, with the development of a surimi-based food 

 product industry on the East Coast, researchers are 

 investigating the possibility of using an Atlantic fish 

 species as a resource for surimi production to lessen 

 the costs of shipping surimi from Japan or Alaska. 

 Already, Sea Grant researchers at N.C. State Univer- 

 sity have developed a surimi from menhaden, an 

 abundant fish found off the North Carolina coast. 



Menhaden processing companies along the mid- 

 Atlantic are following the new technology as a possi- 

 ble alternate outlet for their catches. It may be possi- 

 ble to elevate the lowly menhaden from a source for 

 livestock and chicken feed to a quality product for 

 human consumption. 



At Kibun, Fukuda says his company would consider 

 buying American-produced surimi, providing there is 

 an adequate supply and a consistent high quahty. 



If there is no surimi production here, why did Kibun 

 locate in Raleigh? Speaking through an interpreter, 

 Fukuda said the area was chosen because of its prox- 

 imity to Sea Grant researchers at NCSU and its attrac- 

 tiveness as an East Coast distribution point. (Kibun's 

 West Coast plant is in Seattle, Wash.) 



The availability of labor and the attractiveness of 

 the area as an industrial site were also drawing cards, 

 says Frank Thomas, a Sea Grant seafood extension 

 speciahst with NCSU's Food Science Department. 

 Thomas worked with Kibun and city and state offi- 

 cials to help the company locate in Raleigh. Initially, 



Photo by Nancy Davis 



Masayuki Fukuda 



because such a venture was so new to this area, there 

 was concern over the quality of effluent from the 

 proposed plant. But Thomas supplied technical exper- 

 tise about surimi plants, and city officials approved 

 the facility. 



Thomas estimates Kibun's initial investment was 

 about $4 million. Kibun began its Raleigh operations 

 with one processing line. Now, three lines are in opera- 

 tion, and the company produces 7,000 pounds of its 

 product each day. The company employs 52 workers 

 at its Raleigh site. 



Thomas says the Kibun plant operates with state of 

 the art technology. Product quality is closely moni- 

 tored. Each day, employees take samples, run bacte- 

 rial analyses, and test the product for its appearance, 

 texture, water content and flavor. 



If surimi-based analogs are so popular, will they 

 begin to cut into conventional shellfish markets? 

 Fukuda doesn't think so. "Fresh seafood and blended 

 seafood are completely separate categories. Fresh 

 seafood is wonderful as it is. We have a completely 

 different product to offer," he says. Fukuda adds that 

 he thinks it's important for supermarkets to offer the 

 product as a frozen seafood product rather than 

 alongside fresh seafood. 



Thomas agrees. "You can't equate one with the 

 other. These seafood products are analogs of shellfish. 

 They're a fully prepared item, a convenience item. 

 We're essentially opening up a new market that prob- 

 ably won't compete with flounder, trout and other 

 fresh seafoods." 



