Blue crabs are caught and transported live to processing facilities by either boat or truck. On arrival, the crabs are inspected for physical damage, chemical contamination and mortality. Those crabs that are not immediately processed are placed in a cooler (55°f to 65°f) for a maximum of 24 hours.
The crabs are cooked in a retort for 10 minutes at 250°f (15 psig). Cooked crabs are placed in an air-cool room for a maximum of two hours or until steam is not visible from the crabs. The crabs are then placed in a refrigerated room at 45°f until processed.
The cooled crabs are picked by hand into metal cans. In the packing rooms, cans are check-weighed and hermetically sealed on a one head seamer. The sealed containers are refrigerated. Within 48 hours of picking, meat is pasteurized. During the pasteurization process, the can of picked meat is heated in a water bath followed by cooling in ice slush. Finished product containers are stored under refrigeration.
Canned /vacuun pack
