Improvement of harvesting and processing of cultivated fresh water prawn

摘要

The availability of water and climate allow promising prospects for the industrialization of shrimp produced in confinement in Brazil. The challenge lies in maintaining the postharvest quality, ensured by the disposal of the product properly, since, after the capture and slaughter, the fish undergoes changes related to the biochemical, chemical, microbiological and also the loss of nutrients, until the complete deterioration. This work will analyze the process of improvement of freshwater species Macrobrachium rosenbergii, to introduce the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points). The need for the establishment of the HACCP is related to food security, increased competitiveness of product marketing and product with uniform standards of quality. Production will be evaluated at the Cooperativa dos Aquicultores do Espírito Santo – CEAQ, Brazil, from the harvest of shrimp to delivery of the product in the Cooperative. The steps cover the description of the processes of harvest, washing, immobilization and storage relating them to fit with the good manufacturing practices ideals. Critical limits are established based in the process measures as well as microbiological and physical-chemical so that they identify control points and critical control points. Routine monitoring, verification systems and the establishment of corrective actions may be created from these critical limits and critical control points identified and propose a schedule for improvements in the beneficiation. In a second step, we intend to search for new chemical additives for improving the freezing process that can add the greatest value to the product, resulting in the increased shelf life of shrimp. We expected to contribute to the generation of scientific and technological knowledge in order to effectively meet the practical needs of efforts aimed at the industrialization produced in the state of Espírito Santo, as the freshwater shrimp farming is presented as an alternative profitable and high growth potential due to its commercial acceptance.