FEATURE
INGENIEUR
Towards Affordable , Smart , Hygienic and Halal Dried Seafood Production Systems
By Dr Lee Boon Beng Dr Noor Shazliana Aizee Abidin Dr Muhammad Firdaus B . Abdul Muttallib Ir . Dr Ayob Katimon Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology Universiti Malaysia Perlis
Malaysia is a maritime nation where its
fisheries sector produces approximately
1.7 million tonnes of fish valued at RM10.8 billion . The Malaysian seafood industry is worth RM6 billion annually ( Yusoff , 2015 ). In general , about 70 % of the captured sea food products are consumed in fresh form and 30 % of the remainder is processed into various marine products , of which 14 % consists of dried marine products such as salted fish , dried anchovies , dried shrimp , dried squid , and dried jellyfish . Among the commercially high value and high demand processed seafood products , both locally and abroad , is shrimp paste , made from dried seafood .
In order to guarantee high quality seafood products , the key ingredients must also be high quality , clean and hygienic and halal in the context of today ’ s food industry trends . The major players in the supply of raw materials from both the small and medium industries have to take steps , especially in the era of Industrial Revolution ( IR ) 4.0 .
DRIED SEAFOOD PRODUCTION PERSPECTIVE
Open Solar Drying Being a country located in the equatorial region , Malaysia is endowed with lengthy daytime sunlight which can easily be turned into solar energy . Solar energy is not only permanent but is also an environmentally compatible energy source . Thus solar drying has been a popular practice especially among producers of dried products and dried seafood in particular .
Seafood or marine products are perishable , so good storage life ( shelf life ) is vital if these products are to be transported over large distances and stored in warehouses , or by the consumer , for substantial periods of time . Drying is a commonly used process for the preservation of seafood , since it reduces water content and therefore biochemical , chemical and microbiological deterioration . However , drying food products is an energy-intensive operation with high operational costs , driven primarily by energy consumption . The sun is a major source of available energy and is an economical alternative for the drying process . It can also virtually eliminate CO 2 and CO emissions as well as other contaminants ( El-Sebaii and Shalaby , 2013 ).
Conventional Drying The current practice of drying marine products in Malaysia is open sun drying because it is simple and does not require substantial capital cost . As shown in Figure 1 , the products are simply laid out on a concrete floor or mat during sunlight hours .
24 VOL 84 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2020