Fish abounds, but safety is of concern

Experts lay stress on the harm caused by infected and stale fish

Officials of the Health Department of the Kannur Corporation destroying the seized fish on Thursday.

With Easter around the corner, tonnes of stale fish are making their way to Kerala from neighbouring States. Despite a ban on deep-sea fishing, huge fish are aplenty in the market. But the large-scale seizure of stale fish across the State in the last few days raises concerns on the quality of fish available now.

“Fish from nearby States are found to contain higher quantity of arsenic residue, which may cause hepatic and intestinal cancers,” says T.P. Sethumadhavan, former director, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU).

Checking fish gills, the old method to find out how fresh the fish is, still holds good, says B. Sunil, head, KVASU Meat Technology Centre, Mannuthy. “In whole fish, the gills are bright red or pink. Gills should not be dry or slimy. They could be slightly wet. In fresh fish, the eyes are shiny, clear and bulging. Sunken or wrinkled eyes means the fish is old. The body should be firm and the skin, glowing. Scales should be tightly attached. Loose scales, which tend to slough off, indicate staleness,” he says.

Fresh fish give off only mild fishy smell. Fish with a pungent smell, which is due to the release of a compound in stale fish called trimethylamine, should be avoided. Consumers need to look for abnormalities in colour, texture, and surface sliminess, Dr. Sunil adds.

There are risks associated with bacterial or viral contamination, naturally occurring toxins, and chemical contaminants in fish. The problem is grave when fish is stored in unhygienic conditions under nonideal temperature.

Pathogens and chemical contaminants like formalin are of prime concern. “While handing infected fish, people too can get infected through abrasions or cuts in their skin. KVASU has mapped Listeria (an infection caused by eating food contaminated with bacterium Listeria monocytogenes) in animals, food, and environment in Kerala,” Dr. Sunil says.

Tips for customers

A few tips for customers: Keep seafood refrigerated below 4°C until ready to use, separate cooked and raw seafood, wash utensils before using to avoid cross-contamination, wash hands before and after handling any raw or cooked food, cook seafood thoroughly to an internal temperature of 65°C and keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.