Technical Evaluation of the Processof Oyster Purging Crassostrea virginica in the Tampamachoco Pilot Plant, Veracruz, Mexico

摘要

Mexico is one of the six main producer countries of bivalves in the world (Figurel). The State of Veracruz occupies one of the first places in the national production of oysters, where the native species Crassostrea virginica (Galtsoff 1964) contributed approximately 50 percent of the national production from 1982 to year 2001 (Figure 2). In addition, the production of oysters has become a commercial fishing industry with a high production yield. In past years a production of 26 ton/ha/year was registered in the Gulf of Mexico in a surface area of 107,000 ha, of which 1,425 ha (Figure 3) are oysters' banks (SEMARNAP 1998). Eating oysters raw is the most common type of consumption. However, the health sector does not recommend this form of consumption, which has, in turn, affected the economy of the fishing sector. Therein lies the importance of developing reliable technology for the purification of mollusks. These purification methods consist of a modular system of brackish water recirculation and disinfections with ultraviolet light. Knowledge of the variables needed to control the process of purification of mollusks in a warm-tropical climate such as Tampamachoco, Municipality of Tuxpan, Veracruz, was important (Figure 4), because most of the technical aspects that were used in purification systems were developed for more temperate weather. To date, no process has been developed to standardize the design and the technical operation of these processes in hot weather.