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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 34 Number 3
November 2006
ME lobster processor offers raw meat product
RICHMOND, ME – In late September, Shucks Maine Lobster Inc. held its official grand opening here, attended by local and state dignitaries, including Gov. John Baldacci.
Located in a former Etonic Shoe factory, the company not only brings some economic revitalization to the area, but a whole new lobster processing idea to the state – safe and efficient removal of raw meat from the shell.
Shucks owner and President John Hathaway became interested in the processing of lobster meat while running his lobster shack in Kennebunkport. He noticed that many of the tourists were ordering lobster rolls and salads heaped with lobster meat instead of the more traditional steamed whole lobster.
Additionally, Hathaway met with Kristen Millar, executive director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council (MLPC), who showed him the marketing survey about consumer attitudes on Maine lobster commissioned by the MLPC.
“After reading the MLPC survey, I saw that the vast majority of consumers associated lobster with Maine and that many of those consumers wanted to eat Maine lobster without the shell,” he said.
Shucks does not freeze its product, allowing chefs to use raw lobster meat in dishes they weren’t previously able to.
“Boston’s award winning chef Jasper White uses our meat to make a lobster tempura,” Hathaway said proudly. “You can’t make that with previously cooked meat.”
High-pressure process
Shucks is using a new method to process Maine lobster. The “Fresher Under Pressure HPP Systems” machine, manufactured by Avure Technologies, employs a high-pressure process (HPP) that has been used by others in the food industry to effectively kill bacteria, viruses, and pathogens. The HPP process also substantially and naturally extends the shelf life of food products.
“The water pressure kills the lobster instantly and separates the raw meat from the shell,” explained Hathaway.
The raw lobster meat is then removed from the shell by hand and placed into a package. According to Shucks, after the package is vacuum-sealed, the raw lobster undergoes a second water pressure process, which effectively “cold pasteurizes” the meat, giving it an extended shelf life.
The US oyster industry pioneered the process in its effort to win the battle with Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that can be found in warm coastal waters, according to Hathaway.
Working with government researchers, oyster harvesters determined that the HPP removed the bacteria and, at the same, separated the raw meat of the oyster from its shell, which remained intact through the process, he explained.
Market implications
Shucks recently signed an agreement with Elafood, a Paris-based seafood distributor, which will distribute Shucks Maine raw lobster meat in the European Union. Elafood is the biggest scallop and live lobster dealer in Europe, according to Hathaway.
Maine ships about 70% of its live soft-shelled lobster to Canada for processing. Soft-shell Maine lobster meat is very sweet, but the soft shells make these lobsters difficult to ship live.
“The HPP process will allow us to do up to 1,800 pounds of live lobster an hour,” Hathaway said.
Shucks processes “Certified Maine Lobster,” which are lobsters landed under a trademarking program launched this summer by the MLPC. The purpose of the branding program is to distinguish lobsters in the marketplace that are guaranteed to have been harvested from Maine waters.
Using Certified Maine Lobster and selling it throughout the country and world will create a demand for the product, Hathaway said, adding that the demand created for Maine lobster will be passed on to lobstermen in better prices for the lobster they land.
“We want to strengthen the Maine brand and our priority is to buy Certified Maine Lobster as long as we can do that, it’s the commitment we make to our customers,” said Hathaway.
However, he does recognize that there may be challenges getting the product Shucks needs year-round.
“This is still new and we haven’t decided what we will do if the supply of Certified Maine Lobster becomes low in the winter months,” said Hathaway. “We may just process heavily when the product is there and lighter when it is not as available. The extended shelf-life of the raw lobster meat will assist us in making those decisions.”
The Maine brand is also about the tradition, heritage, and sustainability of the Maine lobster fishery, Hathaway concluded.
“These are real people and fishing communities here in Maine that produce the best lobster in the world,” he said.
For more information on Shucks Maine Lobster go to <www.shucksmaine.com>. For more on the HPP machine go to <www.avure.com>.
Rosanne Mizzoni
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