Fish hoarded at a market in Neendakara. Photo: Rijo Joseph(Fishy Platter is a series of articles that probes how unsafe/unhygienic is the seafood that Kerala consumes. This is part I of the series.)
The truth behind chemical contamination of fish is much more serious than what it might seem. After widespread complaints that adulterated fish are being sold in the state, Onmanorama made an attempt to investigate the matter and the findings are horrifying.
Posing as a boat owner from Mangaluru, this correspondent, along with a friend, approached a middleman in Neendakara fishing harbor and secretly asked him about the availability of the magic powder, which is used to preserve fish.
When the man gave a suspicious look, he was promised that a huge consignment of the powder would be quoted once the samples were okay-ed. Still doubtful, the middleman said, “Fine. I will try. Many are coming here these days asking for this.”
Carriers ready for transporting fish. A scene from a market in Mangalapuram. Photo: Fahad Muneer. K.MHe quickly made two phone calls, asking: “do you have the stuff?” A few minutes later, he told us to meet him next day to get the samples. The next day, he gave us two kilograms of white powder, also known as ‘Prisur Fish’ in fishing circles.
We were headed next to the Food Safety Department office in Thiruvananthapruam. However, their chemical analysis and intelligence departments couldn’t get a whiff of the mysterious chemical compound.
The joint commissioner attached to Food Safety Commissioner’s Office gave us orders to test the samples at the labs of Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) and Council for Food Research and Development (CFRD) under Civil Supplies Department. We took the samples to both these institutions and paid the prescribed fee for investigation.
After two weeks, the results of the test came from CIFT and it was shocking. It was found that the fish was mixed with a toxic chemical called sodium benzoate, which can cause genetic disabilities, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, handicap and destruction of cells.
The chemical is widely used in local fish markets and harbors in Kerala and neighboring states. It is either sprinkled over fresh fish or mixed with water and sprayed on the catch. The chemical is used to kill bacteria while making pickles, bread, fruit juice and dry processed food in small quantities. However, it is dangerous to use this to preserve fish. The use of sodium benzoate is banned in many foreign countries.
Workers carrying fish from a boat in a fishing harbor in Mangalapuram. Photo: Fahad MuneerFood and Drugs Administration (FDA) of US, which issues strict guidelines on food quality in its Code of Federal Regulations (21), has clearly explained the use of this chemical. In processed food, the quantity of sodium benzoate should not be more than 0.1 %.
Food safety officials and experts in fisheries technology say that this chemical should not be used in natural food items such as fish. The lab report from Central Institute of Fisheries Technology warns against the use of it in fresh fish.
According to medical science, if sodium benzoate, which is used in prescribed quantities reaches our body, it is flushed out through urine. However, a little more of it in the body can affect liver and kidney.
The lab report from Council of Food Research and Food Development under Civil Supplies Department points to one more thing – though the chemical is sodium benzoate, it was made with a lower pH value, which means it can kill only a handful of bacteria in fish and cannot prevent the growth of other microorganisms.
Not many studies have been carried out in India about the ill effects of sodium benzoate and there is no project to stop its usage.
As in any animals, the bacteria start working as soon as the fish becomes dead. The CIFT scientists say that for fish such as sardines and mackerel, which have high content of oil, preservation should be only by ice. The ice should be changed at frequent intervals to maintain the temperature. The fish should not be exposed to the atmospheric temperature even for a second as it will facilitate the growth of bacteria. The fish preserved at -5 degree Celsius can be preserved for a maximum period of five to six days after which the bacterial growth will be manifold.
However, the fish change many hands before they reach our dining table and the chances of bacterial growth are high. Sodium Benzoate attacks the DNA of bacteria and kills it. It also destroys fungal virus and enables the fish to be preserved for a longer time. Some say that the quality of fish is determined by its eyes. If that’s your yardstick to buy fresh fish, there’s a sad news: the ones preserved using Sodium Benzoate have eyes, which sparkle.
However, when the chemical cover wears out, the bacteria starts working on the dead fish and sometimes, it happens in our kitchen. Boiling the curry doesn’t destroy this chemical. For Sodium Benzoate to be rendered ineffective, the temperature should be 420 degree Celsius.
