4 °C - the National Sea Grant Library

used to evaluate both heating and cooling curves by four product types; lump,
backfin, special and claw.
Preliminary evaluation of steam distribution within the tunnel was performed
using a portable potentiometer (Model No. 3087, Yokowgawa Corp. of America,
Newman, GA) equipped with copper-constantan (type-T) thermocouple wire and two
inch stainless steel (s.s.) needle thermocouples (Ecklund-Harrison Technologies, Inc.,
Fort Myers, FL). Air temperatures were monitored within the tunnel at 12 inch
intervals (6 locations). Heat penetration studies were performed on the four product
types to establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) and to determine a process
schedule (i.e., time and temperature).
After process standardization was achieved, a total of nine heat penetration
profiles were obtained for each of the four product types studied. These data were
obtained by inserting a thermocouple in the largest portion of crab meat centered on
a perforated s.s. tray. Each tray held two pounds of meat that was leveled to less than
one inch in thickness. Heat penetration profiles were monitored with a hand-held
thermometer (Model HH-21, Omega Instruments, Inc., Stamford, CT) equipped with
type-T thermocouple wire and a two inch s.s. needle thermocouple (Ecklund-Harrison
Technologies, Inc., Fort Myers, FL).
Exit temperatures for the atmospheric steamed crab meat were measured and
air cooling monitored with the hand held thermometer during transfer from the
perforated S.S. trays to sanitized solid s.s. trays. Samples were allowed to air cool
approximately 10-15 minutes in the solid s.s. tray before packing into standard 16 oz.
copolymer polyethylene cups (Venture Plastics, Inc., Monroeville, Ohio). The
containers were weighed, capped and sealed with tamper evident low density
polyethylene seals and packed on ice (50 pounds per waxed corrugated cardboard
box). Product cooling rates on ice were monitored with use of molded plastic
thermocouples (Ecklund-Harrison Technologies, Inc., Fort Myers, FL) inserted
through the top of the snap-on lids for the 16 oz. polyethylene containers.
Temperature profiles for packed crab meats during cooling were monitored until the
core meat temperature approached 10 °C.
A comparison of cooling rates for crab meat allowed to air cool prior to
packing on ice versus direct hot-filling and then packed on ice was performed in order
to evaluate the effects of initial meat temperature on cooling rates. The hypothesis
was that the rate of cooling would be faster for “hot-fill” packing compared with “aircool”
packing since the driving force (e.g., heat) would be greater. The hot-fill