GOST 814-96 “Chilled fish. Technical specifications"

According to GOST

Shelf life (SG) is the period during which the product is suitable for its intended use. It is calculated in days (months, years) from the date of manufacture or is determined by a specific day, after which the product cannot be used (Articles 472-473 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).

For SG fish and storage conditions are established by by-laws (GOSTs) in relation to a specific type of product:

Dear readers! To solve your problem right now, get a free consultation

— contact the lawyer on duty in the online chat on the right or call: +7 (499) 938 6124 — Moscow and region.
+7 (812) 425 6761 — St. Petersburg and region. 8 (800) 350 8362 - Other regions of the Russian Federation You will not need to waste your time and nerves
- an experienced lawyer will solve all your problems!

General information about the shelf life of fish products is also contained in SanPiN 2.3.2.1324-03 dated March 22, 2003 “Hygienic requirements for food storage conditions.”

ATTENTION: SG should be distinguished from shelf life - the period of time during which the product retains all its consumer properties if the conditions are properly met. It may end before the nominal SG.

Timing and types

Depending on whether the fish has been cooked, the following types, subspecies, and storage modes are distinguished: TAKE ORIGINAL TABLE

What kind of fish can be kept in the refrigerator?

Based on the above, it can be noted that any fish can and should be stored in the refrigerator , and for all types of fish preservation except drying and drying, this storage method is strictly necessary.

For all methods of preservation, except for frozen fish , placement in the so-called “freshness zones” at temperatures from +2 to –2°C is permissible.

On a standard refrigerator shelf at a temperature of about +5°C you can store salted, dried, dried and short-term smoked fish.

Few people know that fish of any preservation method can be frozen in the freezer; this process slightly worsens its taste, but significantly increases its shelf life.

Fresh

This is raw fish that has not been subjected to any cooking.

caught

This can be live fish or fallen asleep, but not yet chilled or frozen. In terms of taste, it is superior to those subjected to cooling or freezing, however, not all types are suitable for sale (mainly freshwater (river, lake) are allowed - carp, bream, catfish, trout and others.

Not allowed for sale with mechanical damage to the body, eyes (must be clear, convex), or a change in the shade of the gills from red to any other.

For transportation or storage of goods before sale to the end consumer, special containers (containers, aquariums) are used. They are filled with clean, non-chlorinated water, which is further enriched with oxygen to support life. The optimal water temperature is 5...10 °C; when the temperature increases to 15 °C, the storage duration cannot exceed 24 hours for the warm season and 48 for the cold season.

To keep fish alive at home, it is permissible to use a container filled with clean, cool, non-chlorinated water. Then it should be removed from the water, put in the refrigerator, where it should be stored at -2...0 °C. When maintaining such a low temperature is not possible without damaging other products, it is recommended to place the product in an airtight container filled with ice cubes for additional cooling.

If you don't have a refrigerator, you can use the following methods:

1. Without washing with water (you can simply wipe with a towel), clean the carcass, remove fins, gills, scales, rub with salt and ensure storage in a well-ventilated room. The product can remain fresh for up to 3 days.
2. The fish, grated with salt, is stored for 2 days, wrapped in a towel moistened with a mixture of vinegar and sugar (2 teaspoons).
3. In winter, the product can be stored on the balcony at a temperature not exceeding +2 °C.

Chilled

Its constant temperature ranges from -1 to + 5 °C. You can cool live or only dormant fish. It should be dense to the touch, have a natural color, a characteristic fresh smell without a putrefactive tint. There should be no damage to the carcass.

Cooling methods:

1. Ice. It takes about a day. The product is placed in a container with ice, the amount of which varies from 40 to 100% depending on the season and type of individual.
2. In a liquid medium - sea water, saline solution (3-5%) or a mixture of ice and salt (80% to 20% ratio). Additionally, antibiotics and antiseptics can be added to increase the shelf life by 3-5 days. The method is most often used on fishing vessels or coastal fish processing enterprises before the main technological processing.

Sale of a cut carcass (with or without head) or as a whole is allowed.

Before sale, the product must be stored at a relative air humidity of 95-98% and a temperature of -2...0 °C for 7-9 (small varieties), 10-12 (large species - pink salmon, halibut, pike perch and others) days. The sales period for products should not exceed 1-2 days, and in the absence of a refrigerator - 8 hours.

At home, fish should be stored in the refrigerator at -2 ... 0 ° C, if necessary, placing it in a plastic container with ice.

Frozen

The product temperature is adjusted and maintained at a level not exceeding -18 °C. There are several methods of freezing:

1. Natural - cold (used in winter during ice fishing in harsh climates) or a mixture of ice and salt.
2. Artificial:

• wet (glazing) – at a temperature from -12 to -18 ° C in baths filled with brine;
• dry (“shock” freezing at temperatures from -23° to -30°C and constant airflow).

Store frozen fish at -18 °C for the shelf life specified by the manufacturer (depending on the variety, it is 3-10 months).

In home refrigerators at a temperature of -5 to -6 °C, fresh frozen product is stored for about 2 weeks, at 0 °C - 3 days.

Minced fish

It is prepared by grinding caught, chilled, frozen fish of any kind (except sharks, chimeras and stingrays). Minced meat is classified according to the degree of grinding:

1. Coarsely ground - with muscle fibers visible to the naked eye.
2. Finely ground - obtained by additional processing from coarse minced meat without visible muscle fibers.

IMPORTANT: commercially produced frozen minced meat must be made from one species of fish.

The product is frozen in a dry way to a temperature no higher than -18 or -25 °C. The shelf life is set by the manufacturer, depends on what kind of fish the minced meat was made from, and ranges from 4 to 18 months.

After purchase, minced meat can be stored at home at 2...6 °C in the refrigerator for no more than 6 hours. In the freezer – from 30 days (at -6 °C) to 3 months (at -18 °C). At room temperature, minced meat is stored for no more than 1-2 hours.

Preparation and cooling process

Before the cooling process begins, the fish is weighed and only then placed in a container and covered with ice. Its volume depends on the distance over which they plan to transport the seafood before it is directly displayed on the shelves. In addition to the distance of the “travel,” the time of year in which the fish is supposed to be delivered to the place of sale also plays a role. However, the size of the carcasses does not affect the way they are placed in ice - they must be covered with coolant on all sides. This approach to transportation helps to increase the shelf life of fish.

When the outside temperature does not reach +5 ̊С, the volume of ice approximately corresponds to half the total weight of the transported goods. But the warmer the weather outside, the greater the volume of ice needed to transport seafood to its destination. For example, when the air temperature is within +5...+10 ̊С, then ice needs 60% of the total weight of the cargo. When the thermometer mark exceeds +10 ̊С, then take the same amount of ice as the total mass of seafood.

Cooked

This is fresh fish that has undergone some kind of culinary processing that allows it to be eaten.

Smoked

Smoking is a preservation method that involves salting, drying and processing fish with products of incomplete combustion of wood.

Depending on the temperature, hot and cold smoking methods are distinguished:

You can store the product by wrapping it in a cloth moistened with a saline solution (1 part salt to 2 parts water), placing it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, and if the latter is not available, in a drawer, sprinkled with chopped wood or sawdust.

Dried

It is prepared by slowly drying lightly salted fish under the influence of sunlight, heat (up to 40 ° C), air, which leads to the loss of up to 50% of water and a more uniform redistribution of fat.

Whole fish carcasses of small species or pieces (backs, bellies) of larger species are dried.

Before storing, you should make sure that the fish has not oxidized, has not begun to mold, and has no minor damage.

The product should be stored in a dry, dark, cool place, wrapped in cotton cloth or parchment and hung or placed in a tin with a lid, box, or basket. Under these conditions, storage is allowed for about 4 months.

You can keep fish in the freezer for 6-10 months, after wrapping it in paper.

At room temperature (20...25 °C) it will last no longer than 2 months.

IMPORTANT: Plastic storage bags are not recommended as lack of air flow can cause mold to grow.

Dried

It is made by removing moisture from fish carcasses using the following methods:

1. Cold (at 40 °C in natural or artificial conditions). The main difference from drying is the ability to dry without sunlight.
2. Hot (at 200 °C or more).
3. Sublimation (by turning water into ice, and then directly into steam, bypassing the liquid phase).

Salted and unsalted fish are dried.

You can store such a product by wrapping it in cling film and putting it in the freezer (in this case, its properties will remain unchanged for up to 1 year) or on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, wrapped in paper (allowed up to six months).

Fish suspended in a cotton bag can be stored in a cool, dark place for about a month. It can also be kept in tins, boxes and baskets, similar to jerky.

ATTENTION: dried fish is a semi-finished product, not suitable for consumption without preliminary heat treatment.

Salty

Salting is the process of preserving fish using table salt for further direct consumption or smoking, drying, drying.

The following salting methods exist:

1. Dry. Rolling in salt so that it gets into all the cuts on the body, gills, inside the carcass, placing (again, sprinkling with salt) in a waterproof container (tank, tank). Used for long-term storage.
2. Wet. The product is poured with brine (saturated saline solution) in a ratio of 1:3 for about a week. The fish turns out to be more tender and of better quality than dry-salted products, but unsuitable for long-term storage.
3. Spicy. Processing carcasses with a mixture of salt, sugar, spices (black and red pepper, cumin, cloves) and then placing them in a barrel. A day later it is filled with brine and ripens at 0 °C for about a month. This salting method is often used for herring.

According to the degree of saturation with salt (as a percentage of weight), fish can also be:

• lightly salted (4-6%);
• lightly salted (6-9%);
• medium salted (9-13%);
• strongly salted (over 13%).

Such products can be stored at temperatures from -8 to -4 °C in barrels filled with brine for 4, 6, 9 months (depending on the salinity - weak, medium, strong). Without brine, storage is possible in various containers for:

• 4 months (wooden boxes);
• 3 months (plastic buckets);
• 1.5 months (glass jars);
• 1 month (plastic jars);
• 1-2 months (vacuum polymer bags);
• 10-30 days (polymer packaging without vacuum);
• frozen at a temperature not exceeding -18 °C – 4 months (under vacuum), 2 months (without vacuum).

Home storage at 0...+3 °C allows you to preserve:

• lightly salted salmon – 2-3 days;
• common herring – 15-20 days;
• products in vacuum packaging – 1 month;
• lightly salted fish – 5-6 days;
• pieces of fish in vegetable oil before opening the package - up to 3 months.

Fried

It is prepared by frying pieces (large types), whole carcasses (small varieties) in a small amount of animal or vegetable fat or completely immersed in fat.

The fried product can be stored in the refrigerator at 2...6 °C for about 36 hours, at room temperature - no more than 2-3.

Canned fish fried in marinade must be stored at 0...20 °C and a relative air humidity of no more than 75% for less than a year from the date of manufacture.

What do GOSTs say?

In Russia, current national standards (GOSTs) have been adopted for each method of fish preservation.

Since any fish, especially fresh, chilled, as well as processed and ready-to-eat fish, can cause poisoning or infection with parasites, GOST standards describe in great detail the expiration dates for each type of fish, as well as their dependence on storage temperature, season of sale, the size of a particular individual and many other factors.

National standards of the Russian Federation maximally limit manufacturers and sellers in the rules and conditions of storage .

1. For frozen fish, GOST 32366-2013 “Frozen fish. Technical conditions". According to the standard, the shelf life of frozen fish is set by the manufacturer. The recommended shelf life of specific biological fish species is indicated in Appendix B.
2. For chilled fish, GOST “Chilled fish” has been established. Technical conditions". According to the standard, chilled fish is stored at a temperature from 0 to +2°C, the shelf life depends on the size and quarter of catch/sale.
3. for smoked fish: GOST 7447-97 “Hot smoked fish. Technical specifications" and GOST 11482-96 "Cold smoked fish. Technical conditions". Different smoking methods provide different conditions and temperature conditions for storing such fish.
4. For dried fish, GOST 1551-93 “Dried fish. Technical conditions". According to GOST, dried fish can be kept at temperatures from –8 to +20°C.
5. valid for salted fish, “Salted fish. Technical Specifications" sets the required storage temperature from –8°C to +5°C.

The variety of standards does not end there; in particular, there are standards for live fish, salted herring, frozen herring, etc.

How to know if a product is expired

For each type of fish product there are signs that it is no longer suitable for consumption:

Danger of spoiled product

Eating expired fish is dangerous to health, and in particularly severe cases of intoxication – to human life. Symptoms of poisoning are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, a decrease in body temperature to 32 ° C, severe thirst.

In the most difficult cases, if medical care is not provided on time, respiratory paralysis and death occur. Therefore, if you notice the first signs of poisoning, you should immediately consult a doctor.

If the cause is a low-quality product (raw or cooked) purchased at a retail outlet (store, market, catering organization), the consumer should file a complaint with the SES or Rospotrebnadzor.