Kaohsiung, Taiwan-based seafood-processing firm Anyong Biotechnology announced it is now using the Cells Alive System (CAS) technology developed by the Japan-based ABI Corporation to preserve the freshness of its products.
The company claims it is the first in the region to use the CAS system, which has been granted three major innovation awards in Japan. ABI Corporation claims it preserves food with greater freshness than ordinary freezing by using electromagnetic fields and mechanical vibrations to limit ice crystal formation that destroys food texture. Originally a technology for freezing stem cells in the health sector, the CAS can be used in the fisheries sector to preserve the freshness of seafood, enabling products to be stored for a longer period of time. It also helps maintain the nutritional value of the products, and better preserves the freshness of fish after it is thawed.
"Outstanding quality comes from a high-standard processing environment, technology, and food safety management system. CAS technology gives you fish as fresh as if you lived beside a seaport," Anyong Biotechnology Chairman Guo Zhi Hui said in a statement.
Anyong Biotechnology said its previous freezing capability was not been able to maintain the full quality of its highly-regarded giant grouper products. Hui said he believed the CAS system will address that shortcoming. During the CAS freezing process, a special magnetic field is generated around the fresh food, causing water molecules within to vibrate, the company said.
“Ice crystals can form while the cell wall and membrane integrity remain unharmed, safeguarding against water loss from the food. Furthermore, this process is done without the addition of additives. Altogether, this secures CAS as a superior freezing technology,” the company said.
Anyong Biotechnology supplies a wide range of products from frozen aquatic products to health supplements to additive-free skin care products. The company operates its own supermarket, Anyong Freshmar, and a seafood-processing factory in Mituo, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of ABI Corporation
