Eli5: Why does seafood seem to spoil so quick?
In: 162
Your seafood generally comes from cold waters which means the fish have bacteria on them adapted to colder temperatures. So when you store seafood in the refrigerator the bacteria will continue to grow and spoil it. So you need to freeze it for longer storage. Beef etc. come from animals whose body temperatures are in the upper 90’s F and have bacteria more adapted to warm body temps. So when you put beef in the refrigerator the bacteria present are not adapted to that cold temp and thus grow much much more slowly (but do grow). So in sort cold blooded fish from cold waters have bacteria on them that can much more readily grow at cold temperatures.
Quite simply? Microbes: Bacteria, Viruses, etc. – some of it pathogenic (the ones that make us sick). The ocean is *full* of them.
>A single liter of seawater has about one billion bacteria and 10 billion viruses.[Source](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/microbes/marine-microbes)
Now imagine you’re eating something that’s been marinated in all these microbes its entire life. Then it dies and all those microbes suddenly have a new food source that no longer has an immune system to keep them at bay. The longer that dead seafood sits, the more those microbes eat, and more importantly reproduce. High levels of these pathogens are what are responsible for causing spoilage and sickness.
Properly sourcing, cleaning, storing, and cooking seafood (and any other protein) can reduce the amount of pathogens found in our seafood, but some (especially shellfish) have especially short storage life.
There are also enzymes found in seafood that can cause it to break down and see negative changes in texture and flavor, but those don’t necessarily cause the food to become spoiled. The spoiled part is from microorganisms eating it and shitting toxic feces all over the place, or colonizing it in massive quantities that enough survive your stomach’s acid and proceed to invade and start trying to eat your body, too.
Welcome to food poisoning.
edit: a parenthesis
Quite simply? Microbes: Bacteria, Viruses, etc. – some of it pathogenic (the ones that make us sick). The ocean is *full* of them.
>A single liter of seawater has about one billion bacteria and 10 billion viruses.[Source](https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/microbes/marine-microbes)
Now imagine you’re eating something that’s been marinated in all these microbes its entire life. Then it dies and all those microbes suddenly have a new food source that no longer has an immune system to keep them at bay. The longer that dead seafood sits, the more those microbes eat, and more importantly reproduce. High levels of these pathogens are what are responsible for causing spoilage and sickness.
Properly sourcing, cleaning, storing, and cooking seafood (and any other protein) can reduce the amount of pathogens found in our seafood, but some (especially shellfish) have especially short storage life.
There are also enzymes found in seafood that can cause it to break down and see negative changes in texture and flavor, but those don’t necessarily cause the food to become spoiled. The spoiled part is from microorganisms eating it and shitting toxic feces all over the place, or colonizing it in massive quantities that enough survive your stomach’s acid and proceed to invade and start trying to eat your body, too.
Welcome to food poisoning.
edit: a parenthesis
Your seafood generally comes from cold waters which means the fish have bacteria on them adapted to colder temperatures. So when you store seafood in the refrigerator the bacteria will continue to grow and spoil it. So you need to freeze it for longer storage. Beef etc. come from animals whose body temperatures are in the upper 90’s F and have bacteria more adapted to warm body temps. So when you put beef in the refrigerator the bacteria present are not adapted to that cold temp and thus grow much much more slowly (but do grow). So in sort cold blooded fish from cold waters have bacteria on them that can much more readily grow at cold temperatures.
1) Why does food spoil?
When things die, the enzymes in their cells and the bacteria in their guts digest them from the inside out!
2) How does refrigeration slow down food spoiling?
The enzymes and bacteria already live inside of all living things, so they’re used to working at whatever temperature the thing was when it was alive. When you put meat or veggies in the fridge, the fridge is cold compared to the temperature the enzymes and bacteria are used to working at, so they slow down by a lot.
3) So why doesn’t fish last as long as other meats?
A couple things: fish usually live in a colder environment than animals, and this is doubly true of most ocean fish. Refrigeration on its own doesn’t lower the fish’s temperature that much compared to where it lived, so the enzymes and bacteria aren’t slowed down very much at all. This is why when you buy fish, they’re always sitting on a bed of ice, which you should replicate at home if you’re not going to cook the fish the day you bring it home. Second, fish typically has to travel farther than meat does, especially if you live far inland, so by the time it gets to your supermarket it’s likely already been 3-4 days since the fish died.
1) Why does food spoil?
When things die, the enzymes in their cells and the bacteria in their guts digest them from the inside out!
2) How does refrigeration slow down food spoiling?
The enzymes and bacteria already live inside of all living things, so they’re used to working at whatever temperature the thing was when it was alive. When you put meat or veggies in the fridge, the fridge is cold compared to the temperature the enzymes and bacteria are used to working at, so they slow down by a lot.
3) So why doesn’t fish last as long as other meats?
A couple things: fish usually live in a colder environment than animals, and this is doubly true of most ocean fish. Refrigeration on its own doesn’t lower the fish’s temperature that much compared to where it lived, so the enzymes and bacteria aren’t slowed down very much at all. This is why when you buy fish, they’re always sitting on a bed of ice, which you should replicate at home if you’re not going to cook the fish the day you bring it home. Second, fish typically has to travel farther than meat does, especially if you live far inland, so by the time it gets to your supermarket it’s likely already been 3-4 days since the fish died.
In addition to what u/PrionBacon answered, fish tend to have a more neutral pH than other types of meat. Meaning, harmful bacteria can more easily thrive in fish than, say, beef.
In addition to what u/PrionBacon answered, fish tend to have a more neutral pH than other types of meat. Meaning, harmful bacteria can more easily thrive in fish than, say, beef.
>Seafood especially fish spoil faster than meat for various reasons. In most animal carcasses, the glycogen (stored glucose) in the muscles is converted anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) to lactic acid which protects the meat by bringing down the pH which slows down the action of decomposing agents like bacteria and delays spoilage of the meat for some hours even without refrigeration or other form of preservation. Seafood, on the other hand, begins to deteriorate immediately they are caught because they have little or no storage of glycogen from which lactic acid can be produced for preservation. In addition to that, seafood have softer texture which can be easily penetrated and decomposed microbes. Its high water content is also a reason for its quick spoilage because microbes thrive well where there is high moisture. Its high content of oil which is prone to rancidity is also a factor that makes it susceptible to quick spoilage.
https://www.quora.com/Why-does-seafood-spoil-more-quickly-than-meat?share=1
>Seafood especially fish spoil faster than meat for various reasons. In most animal carcasses, the glycogen (stored glucose) in the muscles is converted anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) to lactic acid which protects the meat by bringing down the pH which slows down the action of decomposing agents like bacteria and delays spoilage of the meat for some hours even without refrigeration or other form of preservation. Seafood, on the other hand, begins to deteriorate immediately they are caught because they have little or no storage of glycogen from which lactic acid can be produced for preservation. In addition to that, seafood have softer texture which can be easily penetrated and decomposed microbes. Its high water content is also a reason for its quick spoilage because microbes thrive well where there is high moisture. Its high content of oil which is prone to rancidity is also a factor that makes it susceptible to quick spoilage.
https://www.quora.com/Why-does-seafood-spoil-more-quickly-than-meat?share=1
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