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A one ton sample from each hatch is packed for evaluation prior to running
in normal production. Lots that pass the evaluation are placed in cold
storage. The local fish are blast or brine froze right away before release
to production.
The tuna are unloaded at the dock using large nets. From
the hatch, fish are manually loaded onto a net then lifted out by means of a
crane or winch. The net is opened once it is placed onto a truck so that the
tuna are released without damage. When the truck is full, it is delivered to
the plant or cold storage right away. Backbone temperatures and physical
characteristics of the fish are monitored from each hatch. Fresh fish is
sent directly to blast/brine freezers. |
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All cans and ends are inspected by Quality Control for integrity and
specification requirement prior to release for production. All ingredients
are also inspected for quality and specification requirements. |
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The trucks are received at the cold storage where the tuna are manually
unloaded and rock piled on pallets. Each truckload is monitored for backbone
temperature and quality characteristics. Cold storage temperature and
condition is properly controlled and maintained. |
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Trucks delivers the tuna from the cold storage or directly from the boat,
where they are manually unloaded and sorted by size. During unloading, the
backbone temperature is measured. The sized fish are weighted on a platform
scale and scheduled for thawing. |
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The froze fish are sized and placed in stainless steel thawing bins. Each
bin is flooded with portable water. The water is circulated until the target
backbone temperature is reached. |
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The thawed fish or fresh fish are butchered to remove the viscera. During
this process the fish are monitored for backbone temperature. Each fish is
rinsed and placed in a stainless steel fish tray according to size, species,
and lot number. The trays are placed into stainless steel racks that
have an identification tag and staged for pre-cooking. |
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The racks are placed in large steel cooker from pre-cooking. The cookers are
heated with steam until the fish are cooked. They are then staged in the
cooling area where they are sprayed with a hose and fine mist of potable
water until cooled. |
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The heads are first removed. The cooled fish are scraped with a stainless
steel knife to remove the skin. The skinned fish are placed in trays and
staged for cleaning. |
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The fish are given to cleaners who will remove the bones, red meat,
bloodspots, bruises and other defects manually, by scraping with a stainless
steel knife. During this process the fish are randomly inspected for off
odors, discoloration, and honeycomb. The cleaned meat is aleged for
filling seaming. |
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The tuna loins and pieces are placed in carts by a filling machine or by
hand. The liquid media and all other ingredients are added manually or by
dispenser. Prior to seaming, the pans are inspected for over/under filling
and product overhanging on the can flange. The cans are seamed on a
mechanical carousel type seamer. After seaming, the cans are inspected for
over/under weights. The double seams on the canned products are torn down,
evaluated every 2 hours, and also physically examined continuously by
production every 30 minutes by QC. The products are then staged for
retorting. |
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The steamed cans are loaded into a busse type steel retort basket. The
products are placed in layers and sometimes separated by perforated divider
plates. The 307 cans are horizontal and retorts with saturated steam to
achieve commercial sterility. All process schedules are registered with the
U.S. FDA and follow the sterilizing criteria per NFPA bulletin 26 and U.S.
FDA 21 CFR 113. The products are cooled in the retort and then further
cooled by fans. Then the products are manually inspected for container
integrity defects then cleaned and wiped dry. The canned products are bright
palletized in layers with stretch wrap. |
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All products are stored in the warehouse prior to shipping. The storage
period provided additional verification of container integrity and
commercial sterility.
The products are labeled and cased prior to shipping.
During labeling and casing, the products are visually examined for
indications of container integrity or commercial sterility problems. After
palletizing the cases are placed in container vans and shipped to the
customer.
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