Whether you’re picking up seafood from your local fishmarket or grocery store, you might encounter both “wet” scallops or “dry”scallops. The former type of scallops, also known as “soaked” or “treated”scallops, are treated with a chemical bath that helps to prolong the shelf-lifeof the product.
What are scallops?
Scallops refer to avariety of different species of marine bivalve mollusks. While in the foodworld we often identify them as a little white-to-off-white lump of seafood, thesebivalves have an entire anatomy we don’tsee in the supermarket or at a restaurant, including a shell, nervous system,and even eyes. Fun fact: scallops are the only bivalves to have eyes, and theyare often blue.
The scallop meatthat we eat is the adductor muscle, although other parts of the scallop areconsumable, as well.
Wet vs. Dry Scallops
Because scallop muscles tendto dry out and lose weight fairly quickly, wholesalers may soak them in asolution of phosphates—specifically, sodium tripolyphosphate. Sodium tripolyphosphate(STPP) acts as a preservative and helps the scallop retain water. Scallops areextremely perishable compared to other mollusks because they do not tightlyclose once caught
Dry Scallops, on the other hand, are natural scallops thathave not been treated with phosphates.You can tell the difference between the two types by judging their color. Wheretreated scallops are very white (STPP acts like a bleaching agent), natural scallopswill appear slightly tan or have a “vanilla” appearance.
Besides their white appearance, wet scallops may also beresting in a milky, sticky liquid.
If you’re looking to sauté scallops, dry scallops are preferredbecause the wet ones have higher watercontent and won’t caramelize in the same way. Scallops are naturally 75-80%water.
Product Labeling
In the 1990s, the FDA issued a labeling policy for scallops.If treated commercial scallops contain more than 80% water, the FDA required itto be labeled with “Water Added ScallopProduct.” Scallops that exceed 84% watercontent could not be sold and were considered “adulterated.”
In 2004, the FDA abandoned this labeling policy. However, seafoodprocessors who treat their scallops withSTPP must state that information on their labels. The U.S Department ofCommerce requires scallops with a meat moisture content exceeding 83% to belabeled as treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. In Canada, scallops cannot be treated with sodium tripolyphosphate.
According to theFDA Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 540.700 regarding processed and/or blended seafood products:
“All ingredients must be listed in the ingredient statementof the finished product by their common or usual names in descending order ofpredominance by weight, in accordance with21 CFR 101.4, unless exempted from ingredient declaration under 21 CFR 101.100(a)(3).”
SodiumTripolyphosphate
Besides its use in helping to preserve scallops and retainmoisture, STPP is used in a wide variety of other food applications, includingdairy products and meat processing. The FDA lists STPP as "generallyrecognized as safe."
At Ingredi, we carry SodiumTripolyphosphate FCC manufactured and packaged by Innophos in bulk 50-poundbags. You can find STPP and other food additives at Ingredi.com.
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