Ikejime Fishing Method
At Kumbatia Seafood we take pride in our commitment to delivering the highest quality seafood in East Africa. While ice slurries, fishing techniques, and transport methods, amongst other factors, contribute greatly to quality, post-harvest handling techniques also have a major impact on freshness, flavor, texture, and color. At Kumbatia, we train and equip our network of harvesters on the Japanese post-harvest handling method of Ikejime in an effort to ensure our product is consistently the best on the market. Let’s dive in.
🔪 The Ikejime Process:
Quick and Precise Stunning: Ikejime begins with a swift and precise stunning of the fish. This is typically done by inserting a specialized spike or knife into the fish's brain, instantly killing it. This step is essential to minimize stress and discomfort to the fish, which greatly impacts quality. It is sometimes considered the most humane way to kill a fish.
Blood Drainage: Once the fish is stunned, it's crucial to remove as much blood as possible. This is important for preserving the quality of the meat. Proper blood drainage also helps prevent off-flavors and maintains the fish's natural color.
Spinal Cord Severance: In some variations of Ikejime, a small incision may be made near the fish's tail to sever the spinal cord. Normally when respiration stops, electrical nerve messages from the brain and spinal cord signaling for muscle contractions do not stop. As muscle contraction continues to occur, the entire body of the fish starts to stiffen up in a process known as rigor mortis. The process typically sets in between 15 to 24 hours, depending on the size of the fish. Ikejime, however, prolongs this process by reducing the buildup of lactic acid in the animal’s muscles, causing the fish to stiffen up more slowly.This is not something Kumbatia’s entire fleet of networked vessels practice, but we are working towards 100% adoption by 2025.
Chilling: After the above steps are completed, the fish is immediately placed in an ice and seawater slurry. The temperature of the slurry should be maintained between 0 to 4 degrees Celsius. Rapid cooling is essential to maintain freshness and prevent the growth of bacteria.
📜 The Science Of Ikejime
Quality Preservation: By instantly immobilizing the fish and minimizing stress, Ikejime ensures that the fish's muscles do not contract excessively, leading to a better texture and flavor. The absence of stress-induced adrenaline also prevents the degradation of the meat, meaning the seafood remains fresher for much longer.
Ethical Considerations: Ikejime is generally considered a more humane method of killing seafood species. The near-instant death of the fish reduces the time of suffering at the end of its life.
At Kumbatia, we're on a mission to redefine seafood quality and sustainability, and we're proud of what ikejime implementation has helped us achieve so far. Higher fish quality means higher value and market demand, which in turn increases income for our fishermen and ourselves.
