• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.20-30
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• 1975

It is matter of fact processing technology must affects the quality and yield of final product and these also depend on the selection of raw material directly or indirectly. So that the estimation of tile preprocessing condition of shellfish is of great importance for distributors and processors. This study was attempted to establish the basic data for evaluating the processing suitability of baby clam, which is one of the five important shellfishes for domestic use and export. The important results are as follows: 1. The ratio of meat volume and meat weight to the holding capacity by shells may be useful for measuring the condition index of baby clams. 2. Baby clams grown in the beds with the composition of a large quantity of gravel were low in condition index value than in sand and mud. 3. If the green feed phenomenon was the prime consideration for canned baby clams, tile most suitable harvest season if October. In this period, the digestive tract in body was almost colorless. 4. As a whole, seasonal changes of moisture and fat content in baby clams were reversely correlated. Protein content increased from April and slightly decreased for a while from July to August and increased again from September. In March, the content of glycogen was 6.3 to 6.8 percent. From this period to October, glycogen was rapidly decreased. In October, it was only 0.1 to 0.2 percent but increased from November. There were little seasonal changes in pH value and crude ash content. The pH value of meat was 6.0 to 6.2 and crude ash content was about 2 percent. 5. By the results of condition index and chemical composition of baby clams, the suitable harvest season as raw materials for processing was from March to June and from September to October. 6. The steamed baby clam meat was packed with 2 percent salt solution containing 0.15 percent, citric acid or 0.5 percent $Na_2$ EDTA in a round sanitary tin can coated with C-enamel that is 203.9 ml by volume and sterilized for 60 minutes at $112^{\circ}C$. The canned product has shown a good result to reserve the natural characteristics of baby clam through six month storage at room temperature.