The method, developed by Simmonds Seafood Marketing Agencies, involves shaving the lip of the oyster to create a small opening where a knife can later be inserted to greatly simplify the shucking process.
The opening is immediately sealed with wax to keep the juices in and the oyster alive.
Inventor and oyster marketer Bob Simmonds said the wax coating also provided branding opportunities because it allowed stickers to be applied that provide information about providence and packing dates.
He said the ability to keep oysters alive while making them easier to open gave them a much greater shelf life compared to the typical pre-shucked product.
“Most oysters are opened, half-shelled and then sent to restaurants and hotels. You only get three or four days’ life out of the product, whereas with the new process you probably get 10 to 12 days, which is a huge benefit,” Simmonds said.
Trading as Oyster Bob, Simmonds sells 18-20m oysters a year on behalf of South Australian oyster farmers, who produce about a third of Australia’s harvest.
Simmonds has entered a partnership with the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), which now owns the worldwide patents for the procedure, and is working to develop machines to streamline the process.
He said the easy-open oysters would be ideal for the Asian market because of its appetite for live seafood products.
Australia exports more than A$1bn (US$760,000) of seafood a year to Asia, driven by strong demand for rock lobster, tuna and abalone.
“All the oysters that are sent out of Australia have been whole live and they are opened overseas but it’s a very laborious task,” Simmonds said.
“If we can take that part of it out of the equation and have an oyster ready to eat, that’s going to appeal to a whole lot of areas—especially China and Asia, where they like live product.
“It can be opened live at the table and people can see the branding and have a discretionary taste of it just like they do with a bottle of wine.”
Simmonds and the FRDC have secured grants to develop three machines to realise commercialisation.
Oysters processed using the new method could be on the shelves in about a year.
“The product itself performs. It’s now about getting the numbers up,” Simmonds said.
“We’re looking at robotics and laser technology.”
In 2013-14 Australia produced 11,402 tonnes of oysters with a value of about A$90m (US$68.7m).
Simmonds said as well as having great potential for export, the new method also was ideal for the retail market.
He said cooking shows on television had created an appetite for freshness among home cooks and made people more adventurous when it came to news ways of serving food.
“Now at retail level we can put them in a dozen pack and people can take them home and open them themselves easily at a dinner party or whatever it may be,” Simmonds said.
“It’s also the novelty factor of doing something a bit different too. Having it live at the table and branded are the essential ingredient to me.”
Simmonds said the machines could be potentially sold commercially to other oyster processors once the process was perfected.
“The FRDC and I both believe this is one of the best things to happen to the oyster industry as far as marketing is concerned for a long, long time,” he said
“I don’t say it’s ever going to replace the current method but it’s just another string to the bow.”
More stories from Down Under…
ACCC okays GrainCorp’s Cargill plant takeover
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has approved GrainCorp’s application to buy Cargill Australia’s 100,000-tonne bulk grain storage and handling facility in Gilgandra, New South Wales.
After compiling “extensive” research from grain growers, traders, exporters and suppliers, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said “Growers and other market participants were not generally concerned about the proposed acquisition.
“Despite the transaction resulting in the removal of a close competitor to the existing GrainCorp site in Gilgandra, based on market feedback, the ACCC considered that there will be effective competition from other suppliers of storage and handling services in the region.
“On-farm grain storage is also increasing, but will not be a complete substitute for upcountry bulk storage and handling facilities,” Sims added.
The ACCC said GrainCorp’s ability and incentive to discriminate between grain growers was also taken into account. This could be done by charging more or offering poorer service to growers that have fewer alternatives for storage and handling.
Based upon market inquiries, the business watchdog said that it considered that discrimination between different growers was unlikely.
“In forming this view, the ACCC noted that GrainCorp publishes a schedule of fixed storage and handling fees on the east coast. In addition, GrainCorp would continue to have an incentive to deliver efficient services to growers, in order to maximise throughput in its facilities,” Sims said.
FIZZ campaigners told to change their ‘Coke-alike’ logo
A “no sugary drinks” logo which will be on display this week will “empower” communities to improve their health, and send a clear message about the damage caused by too much sugar in Kiwi diets, according to a health campaign group.
But the logo has not impressed New Zealand’s food and grocery industry, whose representative body has urged FIZZ to modify the campaign’s logo.
“That logo looks almost identical in shape and colour to iconic curved Coke bottle silhouette pictures that can be found on the internet. It’s not fair that they’re singling out one drink in their campaign,” said Katherine Rich, chief executive of the Food and Grocery Council.
“FGC welcomes discussion about how some New Zealanders take on too many kilojoules from beverages. We also support the freedom of FIZZ campaigners to express themselves and create all the logos and posters they like, but there’s no doubt in my mind what that iconic image in the current FIZZ campaign logo is.”
Bodo Lang, a marketing lecturer who devised the campaign for FIZZ, branded it as New Zealand’s first anti-sugary drinks logo.
“Many organisations, events and leaders have asked for a logo that would allow them to show their commitment to being free of sugary drinks,” said Dr Lang.
“Just like the smokefree/auahi kore logo allowed people to draw a line in the sand against smoking, this new ‘no sugary drinks’ logo will empower communities to lift their health and wellbeing. It’ll also send a clear message about the damage that excess sugar is causing.”
Public polling shows growing support for a tax on sugary drinks—up from 44% in February 2014 to 83% in a NZ Herald poll earlier this year.
New Zealanders consume on average about 54kg of sugar per year. That is equivalent to 37 teaspoons of sugar per person per day—four times the recommended maximum.
Kiwi college investigates ‘transformational’ processing technology
New Zealand researchers are investigating whether an innovation centre based on a novel food processing technology could “transform” the country’s food industry.
Massey University will host representatives from 915 Labs, which has commercialised the product, at networking event for local food companies to attend.
The American company holds the license for Microwave Assisted Thermal Sterilisation (MATS) and Microwave Assisted Pasturerisation (MAPS) technologies.
MATS uses microwaves to speed up the heating process for packaged foods, essentially combining a continuous retort with a microwave. Though similar, MAPS operates at lower temperatures and with shorter heating times required for pasteurisation. It heats packaged foods and beverages simultaneously with hot water and microwave energy for up to 10 minutes.
The technology means products look and taste fresher, retain more sensitive nutritional components and have an extended shelf life, said Abby Thompson, director of Massey’s Riddet Innovation.
“It is a real game changer,” Dr Thompson added.
It was primarily developed for human ready-meals, but there has also been much interest in premium pet foods.
915 Labs manufactures MATS systems and will begin producing one that is MAPS-only in 2017. Massey University, meanwhile, is looking to establish an innovation centre for this technology, based at the FoodPilot in Palmerston North.
This would be supported by a dedicated team providing food technology, process engineering and regulatory expertise, who would work on validation projects on behalf of international food companies.
“We look forward to meeting with members of the New Zealand food industry and experts from Massey University to talk about the future of packaged food and the impact of microwave processing on the quality and nutrition of ready-to-eat and shelf-stable products,” said Michael Locatis, chief executive of 915 Labs.
Phil McGrath, chief executive of Food Locomotive said he was excited by the possible venture. "MATS is ground-breaking technology that enables us to create true clean-label products with improved nutrition, texture and flavour for our customers."
Craig Nash, chair of the Massey’s FoodHQ commercialisation stream, is working with Massey to secure the technology.
“Palmerston North is the home of food and beverage innovation in New Zealand. By securing MATS technology we will provide both New Zealand and Manawatu food companies with an edge and help grow our economy."