Tuna's Red Glare? It Could Be Carbon Monoxide

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From: "califpacific" Wed, 06 Oct 2004 09:43:17 -0000 Tuna's Red Glare? It Could Be Carbon Monoxidehttp://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/06/dining/06TUNA.html?thTuna's Red Glare? It Could Be Carbon MonoxideBy JULIA MOSKINBUYERS of fresh tuna, whether at the sushi bar or the supermarket,often look for cherry-red flesh to tell them that the fish istop-quality. But it has become increasingly likely that the fish isbright red because it has been sprayed with carbon monoxide.The global seafood trade has expanded so much over the last decadethat tuna, once a seasonal delicacy, is available year-round. Butgetting it to consumers while it

still looks fresh is difficult. Tunaquickly turns an unappetizing brown (or chocolate, as it is called inthe industry), whether it is fresh or conventionally frozen and thawed.Carbon monoxide, a gas that is also a component of wood smoke,prevents the flesh from discoloring. It can even turn chocolate tunared, according to some who have seen the process.People in the seafood industry estimate that 25 million pounds oftreated tuna, about 30 percent of total tuna imports, were broughtinto the United States last year, mostly from processors in SoutheastAsia. Retailers in the United States buy it already treated.The Food and Drug Administration says the process is harmless. ButJapan, Canada and the countries of the European Union have banned thepractice because of fears that it could be used to mask spoiled fish.Carbon monoxide preserves only the color of the fish, not its quality.Suppliers and retailers who use the

treated fish say the processallows them to sell high-quality, flash-frozen fish that still looksgood enough to eat. Jerry Bocchino, an owner of Pescatore, a fishstore in Grand Central Market in New York, said that his sales of tunahave tripled since he switched to the treated kind two months ago."With fresh tuna, you're always racing the clock to keep the color andkeep it from spoiling," Mr. Bocchino said. "And once it turns brown,no one wants to buy it. People love the color of this stuff."Tim Lauer, a seafood dealer in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, saidthat most sushi bars and supermarkets there have switched to theproduct since it was introduced in the late 1990's. "I've lost all mysushi customers for tuna, since I won't sell it," he said.Just because a slice of tuna is brown, it does not mean it is notfresh. And other factors determine the color, including the fatcontent, species and cut. The finest fresh

bluefin, which sells for upto $40 a pound at Tokyo's wholesale fish markets, is not a deep redbut a pale pink because of the fine web of white fat that permeatesthe red flesh. Top-quality toro is often a brownish red.But for most consumers around the world, vendors say, lollipop-redflesh signals freshness and quality. Tuna treated with carbon monoxideis bright red when first defrosted, and fades within a couple of daysto a watermelon pink. But "you could put it in the trunk of your carfor a year, and it wouldn't turn brown," said one sales representativeat Anova Foods, a distributor in Atlanta, who spoke on condition ofanonymity.The use of carbon monoxide in food is hardly new, as any barbecue orsmoked salmon fan should know. (Wood smoke contains carbon monoxide.)But the gas used by many overseas producers, although tasteless, ismore concentrated; it can be as much as 100 percent carbon monoxide,said Bill Kowalski,

an owner of Hawaii International Seafood.American processors like Hawaii International and Anova Foods areracing to market their own versions of the technology, using woodsmoke that is filtered to remove the elements that make food tastesmoky. These processors use lower concentrations of the gas and tagtheir product with trademarked names like Tasteless Smoke, Clearsmokeand Crystal Fresh.Opinion about carbon-monoxide-treated tuna is sharply divided, andillustrates the complex issues that consumers have to wade through atthe fish market.To supporters like Mr. Bocchino, Mr. Kowalski and Dr. Steve Otwell, aresearcher at the University of Florida, carbon monoxide treatment isan important advance in food safety that accommodates the realities ofthe marketplace. Instead of fresh tuna that is likely to spoilquickly, they reason, consumers get a high-quality frozen product thatcan be transported safely, thawed when

needed, and keep its freshlook. "The industry scrambles to get fresh tuna to market, but thereality is that by the time a long-line Pacific tuna makes it to anAmerican supermarket, it could be as much as 30 days out of thewater," Dr. Otwell said. "That's much more of a health risk thantreated tuna, as long as the raw material is good and the treatment iscontrolled."Roman Choudhury, the manager of two sushi restaurants in Manhattan,buys treated tuna when he cannot get it fresh, particularly for tunarolls. "At my price point, it's almost impossible to have a steadysupply of fresh tuna," he said. "And people always, always want tekkamaki."Detractors call the process risky and dishonest. "There's no reason todo this other than to deceive the consumer," Mr. Lauer said. "Thereare natural solutions to the problem of browning."One is ultra-low-temperature freezing, which keeps tuna at about 80degrees below zero for

months or even years without browning. Butmaintaining such low temperatures during the long trip from boat toplate is a very expensive proposition.Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for the Center for Sciencein the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group, said, "Anythingthat masks the true age of a piece of fish is a public safety risk."As tuna ages, it becomes more likely to cause scombrotoxin poisoning,which is rarely severe or fatal. It is the most common form of foodpoisoning from seafood in the United States, the Center said.The F.D.A. has put carbon-monoxide-treated tuna on its list ofsubstances generally regarded as safe. The agency permits its use topreserve the color of fresh tuna, not to enhance brown tuna, andrequires stores to label treated fish. But they often do not.What does all this mean at the market? Any tuna that is hot pink hasprobably been treated with carbon monoxide. Tuna that

is bright redmay be extremely fresh, and therefore very expensive, or may have beentreated with the gas."Outside of Hawaii bright red tuna that is selling for less than $12 apound is probably treated," Mr. Lauer said. "On the other hand,there's nothing to stop people from selling treated tuna for $20 apound if they can get away with it."Copyright 2004 The New York Times CompanyPlease pass this message or article on to someone else so that they may learn also.Community Newsletters.http://www.alternative-medicine-newsletter.infoCommunity Message Boards.http://www.alternative-medicine-message-boards.info"Do not let either the medical authorities or the politicians mislead you. Find out what the facts are, and make your own decisions about how to

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