Russian scientists crack down on ocean perch fillet manipulation

Specialists from Russia's Institute of Consumer Tests (RIPI as abridged from Russian) have tested frozen ocean perch fillets for compliance with existing requirements and announced the results, reports www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) with reference to the institute.

Doing the tests the researchers have responded to the consumer fears that they will sometimes fall victim of product manipulation when one cheaper species is disguised as a more expensive product thus increasing the margin through virtual cheating of seafood consumers.

For the test the experts have purchased five samples of frozen ocean perch fillets. The test has been focused on percentage of the products' glazing, presence of water-holding additives and genuineness of the raw material (original ocean perch or not).

As a result of the test the experts are convinced that the surveyed seafood producers in fact deceive their consumers. Having conducted lab tests of protein and fat-acid content the experts have proved that only one sample out of five has been made of ocean perch, namely TM Bukhta Izobilia product.

Four other samples have no relation to ocean perch as they have been produced evidently from cheaper fish species.

The above mentioned sample TM Bukhta Izobilia has become the best one also in terms of glazing with its ice content of only 2.3% of the product weight. Nearly the same ice content (2.4% namely) has been found in the product made by OOO Firma Bilar, while the other samples have been coated in heavy ice from 20% to 28.8%. Thus, out of the product's price of RUR90.90 per 400-gram fillet pack (Shturman KF namely) the consumer pays nearly RUR30.00 for the 28.8% ice coat.

As for water-holding additives, such have been found in all the samples, though their percentage has been always within approved amounts.

Product info

Three packs (Shturman KF, OOO Prodservice, OOO Firma Bilar) have no information about the products' content and two packs have serious defects. More specifically, the samples of Bukhta Izobilia and Koira give no information about the content of water-holding additives, moreover the content of the latter product says it is made of fish, not of ocean perch.

Conclusions

Out of five samples of fish fillets only one has been made of ocean perch, that is Bukhta Izobilia (Germany). The same sample has become the winner of the test with the only drawback of zero information about water-holding additives in the product's content.

The lowest volumes of ice glazing (2.3% and 2.4% correspondingly) have been found in two samples of Bukhta Izobilia and OOO Firma Bilar. The largest volume of 28.8% has been found in the product of Shturman KF.

Water-holding additives have been found in all the samples, though their percentage has been always within approved amounts.

None of the producers has given full information about the product's content with the labels of Shturman KF, OOO Prodservice and OOO Firma Bilar containing no information about their contents at all.

Results of lab tests of frozen ocean perch fillets