Destruction of Parasite in Raw Fish

Hello All,

At my facility we are using Raw Salmon and Raw Tuna for Sushi / Sashimi and Tarter

As parasite is one the identified risk , we had put control measure in place which is freezing fish at -20 C for 7 days .

During the audits realized that most of the freezers we use doesn't go beyond -18 C

I looked at various resources all suggested that fish must be frozen at -20 C for 7 days , in some cases mentioned for 1 day

I was not able to find any reference on -18 C for 7 days will be enough to destroy the parasite  or not

I m aware that the parasite problem can be reduced by using farmed fish which we do but just incase

thank you for the time.

You should find the answer here:

http://www.fda.gov/d...n/UCM252393.pdf

The effectiveness of freezing to kill parasites depends on several factors, including the temperature of the freezing process, the length of time needed to freeze the fish tissue, the length of time the fish is held frozen, the species and source of the fish, and the type of parasite present. The temperature of the freezing process, the length of time the fish is held frozen, and the type of parasite appear to be the most important factors. For example, tapeworms are more susceptible to freezing than are roundworms. Flukes appear to be more resistant to freezing than roundworms.

Freezing and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours are sufficient to kill parasites.

Species that normally have a parasite hazard as a result of consuming infected prey apparently do not have the same parasite hazard when raised only on pelleted feed in an aquaculture operation. You need not consider such aquacultured fish as having a parasite hazard. On the other hand, aquacultured fish that are fed processing waste, fresh fish, or plankton may have a parasite hazard, even when wild caught fish of that species do not normally have a parasite hazard. Pellet fed fish that sometimes depend on wild-caught prey to supplement their diet may have a parasite hazard. In addition, fish raised in freshwater may have a parasite hazard from trematodes because these parasites enter the fish through the skin rather than in the food. You should verify the culture methods used by your aquaculture producers before eliminating parasites as a significant hazard.

Note that these conditions may not be suitable for freezing particularly large fish (e.g., thicker than 6 inches).

Fish that contain parasites in their flesh may also contain parasites within their egg sacs (skeins), but generally not within the eggs themselves. For this reason, eggs that have been removed from the sac and rinsed are not likely to contain parasites.

Trimming away the belly flaps of fish or candling and physically removing parasites are effective methods for reducing the numbers of parasites. However, they do not completely eliminate the hazard, nor do they minimize it to an acceptable level.