Temperature-controlled supply chains (cold chains) require an unbroken chain of refrigeration to maintain product quality and safety. This study investigated cold chains for farmed oysters raised in the Chesapeake Bay, one of the largest shellfish-growing regions in the United States, and sold live to the half-shell market in surrounding states. Temperature sensors were used in boxes of oysters from February to September 2017, which generated 5,250 h of temperature data. Thirty-nine businesses participated in the temperature sensor study, and 26 of those businesses participated in interviews to further understand how cold chains function. Internal oyster temperatures were measured above 50°F (10°C) for over 1 h in 19% (7 of 36) of shipments, which is a temperature that exceeds National Shellfish Sanitation Program criteria. The highest internal oyster temperature recorded in any shipment was 54.5°F (12.5°C). Some parts of the cold chain had difficulty maintaining storage temperatures below 45°F (7.2°C) in warmer months when Vibrio control plans were in effect. We modeled the effects of temperature on Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The model predicted moderate bacterial growth before oysters were under temperature control, but cold chains prevented further bacterial growth and provided a moderate drop-off in V. parahaemolyticus abundance.
Sea scallop adductor muscles were given six processing treatments involving water, phosphate and NaCl. They were evaluated during iced storage for changes in moisture content, aerobic plate count, pH, drip loss, cook loss, and sensory freshness attributes. All treated scallops and a wash control were above the 80% moisture interim federal compliance level. A dip in 10% sodium tripolyphosphate generally produced the least drip and cook losses and lowest aerobic plate counts during iced storage compared to freshwater washed scallops. No additional benefit was derived by very long exposure to solutions of sodium tripolyphosphate.
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