DEVELOPMENT OF FROZEN SUSHI: OPTIMIZATION AND SHELF LIFE SIMULATION

Sushi is a highly desired consumer product; however, freezing a product like sushi is not an easy task due to its wide variety of ingredients, which present very different moisture contents. The objective of this research was to develop high quality frozen sushi with a novel creative design process system. Key factors in the freezing process were considered, including identification of raw materials, experimental determination of moisture content, initial freezing point and nonfrozen water fraction in each component. Shelf life simulation showed that for lower storage temperatures, there is a significant increase in the product's shelf life. A correct development of frozen sushi must take into consideration the best combination of ingredients, process condition and quality, permitting to minimize water migration during frozen storage. The joint effort of a recognized international chef and a technical group was able to design a creative strategy for developing a high quality frozen product for exportation purposes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Sushi is a highly desired product; however, freezing a product like sushi is not an easy task due to its wide variety of ingredients, which present very different moisture content. According to statistics, an exploding demand for ready-to-eat food products has been experienced in the last decade. Advanced Fresh Concepts Corp. runs 900 sushi counters in supermarkets in the United States and Canada and posts more than $100 million in annual sales. Prepared foods and entree categories continue to be the largest within the frozen food market, with more than $5.9 billion in annual supermarket sales. Total retail sales of frozen foods in the U.S. reached more than $26.6 billion in 2001, 6.1 percent higher than 2000, up over 1 billion dollars from 1999 and 2 billion dollars from 1998. A comprehensive and creative approach to value-added product development is culinology. The term was first coined by Wiston Riley, former president and a founder of the Research Chefs Association (RCA). Culinology is the fusion of culinary/chef skills and the skills of technicians/scientists.