processing. But the NCSU seafood 

 team would like to recover and con- 

 centrate that protein. 



Such a process could reduce the 

 amount of water used in processing. 

 And the concentrated protein re- 

 covered from the wash water could be 

 developed into a flavoring, used as a 

 protein supplement for other food 

 products or added back to the surimi 

 to fortify its nutritional value. 



In another surimi project, Lanier 

 teams up with NCSU food scientist 

 Don Hamann to explore the mixture of 

 fish paste and red meat in processed 

 products such as frankfurters, 

 luncheon meats and sausage. 



Alone, surimi possesses superior 

 gelling and binding properties that 

 seem to make it an excellent can- 

 didate for bologna and salami. But 

 when fish and red meat are mixed 

 and processed with techniques 

 presently in use in the food industry, it 

 lessens the surimi's gelling and 

 binding properties. 



Lanier and Hamann will try to deter- 

 mine what causes the change in the 

 surimi and find a processing method 

 that will allow the surimi to retain its 

 ability to gel and bind. 



Their research results may be 

 valuable to food processing giants 

 such as Oscar Meyer, General Foods 

 and Gerber. 



In a health and safety issue, Jim 

 Oliver, a biologist at UNC-Charlotte, 

 will study the effects of temperature 

 on a novel, but deadly, pathogen 

 called Vibro vulnificus. It is found in 

 raw oysters, particularly those 

 harvested from the Gulf of Mexico. 



The pathogen can be fatal to peo- 

 ple whose immune systems have 

 been lowered by diseases such as 

 AIDS, cancer or pneumonia. And 

 there is special concern for pregnant 

 women. 



Oliver believes temperature may be 

 a key factor in determining how infec- 

 tious and how numerous these Vibro 

 pathogens may be in raw oysters. He's 

 especially concerned about the 

 temperature fluctuations oysters 

 sometimes undergo between harvest 

 and consumption and how these fluc- 

 tuations affect the pathogen's infec- 

 tious ability. 



Oliver's results could provide life- 

 saving information for doctors and 

 health officials who have patients 

 susceptible to the pathogen. 



In another safety and health issue, 

 ECU scientists David Griffith, Jeff 

 Johnson and Margie Gallagher and 

 Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service 

 Director Jim Murray will explore how 

 information about coastal pollution 

 affects people's perceptions about 

 seafood quality and safety. 



While nutritionists are singing the 

 health benefits of seafood, the media 

 is reporting ever-increasing incidences 

 of seafood contamination by industrial 

 pollutants, medical wastes and 

 biological toxins. 



Consumers are confused. 



In fact, North Carolina provided a 

 prime example of that confusion dur- 

 ing the red tide outbreak several years 

 ago. The type of red tide present in 

 our waters contained biological toxins 



Seafood market in MoreheadCity 



that concentrated in shellfish and 

 made them dangerous, but not fatal, 

 to consumers. Fish, crabs and shrimp, 

 however, were safe to eat. 



Consumers frightened by what they 

 heard and read swore off all North 

 Carolina seafood. Seafood processors 

 and retailers suffered, and the state 

 had to mount an extensive media 

 campaign to revive North Carolina's 

 seafood industry. 



If the seafood industry and state 

 and federal officials had understood 

 more about how the public perceived 

 the outbreak's effect on seafood qual- 

 ity, they might have been able to head 

 off the problems. 



And that's exactly the kind of infor- 

 mation this Sea Grant project will pro- 

 vide. The team will survey consumers 

 to learn how they feel about coastal 

 pollution, seafood safety and seafood 

 inspection. 



