Food Safety (Fishery Products and Live Shellfish) (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 No. 207

SCHEDULE 3 Production and placing on the marketConditions for fishery products

Chapter V Health Control and Monitoring of Production Conditions

Section II— Special checks

Chemical checks

3A.  When chemical checks are to be carried out by the district council samples must be taken and subjected to laboratory analysis for the control of the following parameters—

(a) TVB-N (Total Volatile Basic-Nitrogen), in respect of which—

(i) the following TVB-N limits must not be exceeded—

• 25 milligrams of nitrogen per 100 grams of flesh for the following species:

  • Sebastes spp.;

  • Helicolenus dactylopterus;

  • Sebastichthys capensis;

• 30 milligrams of nitrogen per 100 grams of flesh for the following species

  • all species belonging to the Pleuronectidae family (with the exception of halibut: Hippoglossus spp.);

• 35 milligrams of nitrogen per 100 grams of flesh for the following species

  • Salmo salar;

  • species belonging to the Merlucciidae family;

  • species belonging to the Gadidae family;

(ii) the reference method to be used for checking the TVB-N limit is the method involving distillation of an extract deproteinised by perchloric acid as set out in Annexes II and III of Commission Decision 95/149/EC of 8th March 1995(1) (“the Decision”) read together with article 3 of the Decision;

(iii) the routine methods which may be used to check the TVB-N limit are those specified in article 2(3) of the Decision;

(iv) the sample must consist of about 100 grams of flesh, taken from at least 3 different points and mixed together by grinding;

(b) TMA-N (Trimethylamine-Nitrogen);

(c) Histamine, in respect of which—

(i) nine samples must be taken from each batch; these must fulfil the following requirements—

• the mean value must not exceed 100 parts per million (“ppm”);

• two samples may have a value of more than 100 ppm but less than 200 ppm;

• no sample may have a value exceeding 200 ppm;

(ii) these limits apply only to fish species of the following families: Scombridae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae and Coryphaenidae; however, fish belonging to these families which have undergone enzyme ripening treatment in brine may have higher histamine levels but not more than twice the above values; examinations must be carried out in accordance with reliable, scientifically recognised methods, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

(1)

O.J. No. L97, 29.4.95, p. 84