Shellfish remain a very popular and nutritious food, but consumption may present a particularly high risk to consumers. Edited by leading authorities in the field, this collection reviews hazards the shellfish industry needs to be aware of and steps that can be taken to improve safety and eating quality. Opening chapters consider microbial, biotoxin, metal and organic contaminants of shellfish. Techniques to reduce contamination are then discussed, such as mitigation of the effects of harmful algal blooms. Chapters also address approaches to managing disease and other methods to improve quality, such as improved packaging methods and reduction of biofouling.
Part 1 Shellfish safety: an introduction: Microbial contamination and shellfish safety; Biotoxin contamination and shellfish safety. Part 2 Improving molluscan shellfish safety and quality: Viral contaminants of molluscan shellfish: detection and characterisation; Monitoring viral contamination of molluscan shellfish; Algal toxins and their detection; Monitoring of harmful algal blooms; Mitigation of effects of harmful algal blooms; Modelling as a mitigation strategy for harmful algal blooms; Metals and organic contaminants in bivalve molluscs; Managing molluscan shellfish-borne microbial diseases; Disease and molluscs quality; Hazard analysis and critical control point Programs for raw oyster processing and handling; Biofouling and the shellfish industry. Part 3 Improving crustacean safety and quality: Optimization of crustacean quality through husbandry and adherence to post-harvest standards for processing; Development of vaccines and management of viral diseases of crustaceans; Specific pathogen-free (SPF) shrimp stocks in shrimp farming facilities as a novel method for disease control in crustaceans; Selective breeding of penaeid shrimp. Part 4 Regulation and management of shellfish safety: Legislation, regulation and public confidence in shellfish; Risk management of shell fisheries. Part 5 Post-harvest issues: Molluscan shellfish depuration; Slaughter, storage, transport and packaging of crustaceans; Packaging, storage and transport of molluscan shellfish.
Dr Sandra E. Shumway is a Research Professor at the University of Connecticut, USA. She is Editor of the Journal of Shellfish Research and the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Founder and co-Editor of Harmful Algae, Past-president of the National Shellfisheries Association, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr Gary E. Rodrick is Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida, USA. Well-known for his research on food safety, he is co-Editor of the Food Safety Handbook and serves on the International Advisory Committee for Science-Diliman.