Seafood sniffing seminar has aroma of success

Over two dozen trainees learned to recognize oil tainted seafood in a pilot program here.

On August 4, the University of Florida Sea Grant Extension Program presented a program on “sensory screening” of seafood at the Apalachicola Community Center.

Trainees learned to sniff out petroleum contamination in fish, shrimp and oysters to prepare them for compliance with new Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards.

Successful sniffers received certificates of achievement for their olfactory triumph.

Food Scientist Dr. Steve Otwell and oyster specialist Victor Garrido worked with county extension agent Bill Mahan to organize the event.

About 30 people attended including representatives from local seafood houses, broadcast media and several major restaurant chains.

Garrido said, “This was primarily to a voluntary program for primary processors to allow them to assure the buyers that the seafood from Gulf of Mexico is safe.”

Otwell said the pilot program has jump started a larger training agenda along the Gulf coast.

“The outcome and enthusiasm was far stronger than we expected,’ he said. “Since the Apalachicola event we’ve had calls from everywhere. Everybody seems to be very supportive of this and it’s really taken off.”

Jim Nations, manager at Water Street Seafood attended the meeting and said it was a good use of his time.

“I thought it was helpful,” said Nations. “At least now we can tell our customers who are concerned about fish being contaminated that we have been to class and are certified to recognize the smell.”

Nations said trainees were exposed to seafood tainted with different amounts of diesel and crude oil. He said that 20 to 40 parts per million (ppm) was unmistakable once one is familiar with the odor.

Mahan said that these are very low levels of contamination, below the threshold of danger unless a very large amount of contaminated seafood was eaten over a long period of time. He said it’s important that people realize that oil can be detected at levels well below what is dangerous to eat.

“I don’t think there’d be a problem with seafood containing 40 ppm once it was cooked,” Nations said.

Garrido and Otwell actually had to add oil to clean seafood because they were unable to locate tainted products.

Nations said his company has not seen any tainted product and that all of his fish comes from approved waters. He said oysters are currently in short supply.

Nations plans to train other Water Street employees to sniff seafood for oil but said he will probably be the only one to become certified.