Development and testing of a heat–cool methodology to automate oyster shucking

Abstract

A heat/cool methodology was developed to facilitate oyster shucking. Eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica from several locations were used. Two methods were designed to shuck oysters, which incorporated various heat–cool regimes. The first was a combination of low-pressure steam and cryogenic CO 2, the second a combination of steam and cooling, either from cryogenic N 2 or ice water. The oysters were instrumented with T-type thermocouples connected to a datalogger to monitor and record process temperatures. Methods also were developed to quantify meat detachment, shelf-life and textural changes. The methods developed allowed for the measurement and optimization of the shucking process. Advantages of the steam–ice water combination include availability of facilities and low cost. Additionally, under selected regimes, meat quality was similar to that of raw oysters, while some reduction in microbial activity was recorded. Results indicated quantifiable methods, which yielded oyster meat detachments in excess of 85%.