Cambridge, United Kingdom-based technology developer Timestrip will have its newest seafood-focused invention on display at the upcoming 2018 Seafood Expo North America event – which comes to Boston, Massachusetts from 11 to 13 March – the company announced on 14 February.
The cutting-edge product, Timestrip Seafood, has been designed to protect seafood packaged in reduced oxygen environments by detecting breaches in temperature during processing and transport, the company explained in a press release. The technology could prove especially valuable to products such as crabmeat and scallops, which tend to be packaged in these reduced-oxygen environments, Timestrip said.
Timestrip Seafood functions using reliable indicators that keep tabs on whether a seafood product is being stored in temperatures above three degrees Celsius – a climate known to promote the development of Clostridium botulinum (C. bot) bacteria, which is responsible for foodborne botulism. Because seafood processing is often performed in wet environments, Timestrip has also outfitted its new technology with “a special, upgraded adhesive for the self-adhesive indicators used in seafood applications,” it said.
As a means to optimize the Timestrip Seafood indicator for the utmost clarity, the company consulted with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and updated its labelling mechanism accordingly – the label now makes it “clear to processors when a breach event had occurred, and when the product should be discarded,” Timestrip explained. “Timestrip has carried out extensive quality assurance checks to ensure that all FDA requirements are met for products used in connection with C. bot.,” the company added.
The scallop and crab sectors have conveyed strong demand for the technology, Timestrip said. An early adopter of Timestrip Seafood is Washington-based South Bend Products, which has been trialing the product with its crabmeat that is packaged in a reduced oxygen environment.
Timestrip looks forward to introducing the technology in Boston at Seafood Expo North America, CEO Reuben Isbitsky said.
“We are delighted to have introduced this product ahead of Seafood Expo,” Isbitsky confirmed. “It will make an important contribution to controlling C. bot borne infection in many seafood lines.”
A manufacturer of time and temperature indicators, Timestrip has sold more than 100 million products to customers worldwide, working with companies such as 3M, Tesco, Whirlpool, Parker Hannifin, Siemens, and Febreze. The company will be exhibiting its latest innovations at Seafood Expo North America from 11 to 13 March at booth #1388.
