National Seafood Month: The science of seafood

Seafood is as much a science as it is a business. At the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center, Alaska Sea Grant’s Chris Sannito works at this intersection by helping Alaska’s seafood and mariculture businesses navigate the technical requirements behind developing and bringing new and innovative Alaska products to market.  

“There are so many hoops to jump through when you’re starting out,” Sannito said. “Helping small Alaska companies navigate that is the most rewarding part of my job, whether that’s product processing, cold spot testing in smokehouses, or figuring out how to get permitted.”

As Alaska Sea Grant’s seafood technology specialist, Sannito serves as a process authority, which means he helps evaluate seafood processing procedures and verifies that they meet regulatory safety standards. This ranges from testing pH and moisture levels in new products to making sure sterilization procedures are done correctly. Sannito says that every week is different. “We’ve worked on everything from barbeque sauces to salted seaweed.”

For example, Alaska smoked seafood products are popular in the state and around the country, and producers must obtain a state permit to ensure quality and safety. Alaska Sea Grant helps producers identify potential cold spots in a smokehouse, and to do this, Sannito and his team utilize iButtons, small heat-resistant temperature recorders. These are placed in a grid pattern throughout the smoker to capture the temperature distribution while the smoker is running. Afterwards, Sannito wipes off the goo and downloads the data to create a report that pinpoints any cold areas which could result in uneven or insufficient cooking. This allows the operator to make needed adjustments.

It’s not all lab work for Sannito, however. This month he is leading the Smoked Seafood School for Commercial Operators. This workshop, held October 16 and 17, will bring together seafood businesses for an opportunity to learn techniques, share ideas and collaborate on best practices. This year’s workshop will also include a business seminar.

Sannito leads various workshops and classes throughout the year as part of the Alaska Seafood School, including Sanitation Control Procedures, Better Process Control School, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. He is also helping teach the upcoming Introduction to Starting and Operating a Seafood Direct Marketing Business for fishermen, with Alaska Sea Grant’s fisheries specialist, Gabe Dunham. A full list of these courses and other Alaska Sea Grant events can be found on the Alaska Sea Grant website.