KOCHI: The recent incidents of fish curry prepared days ago fuming on its own, leaving families perplexed in Muvattupuzha and Kozhikode, has raised questions about the methods used to preserve fish and other perishable food items. Though the reason behind the ‘boiling’ phenomenon has not been ascertained, experts are of the view that it was caused by chemicals like ammonia, formalin and hydrogen peroxide, which some traders use to preserve fish.One of these chemicals present in the fish could have reacted with some of the ingredients used for preparing the curry.
Dr K Ashok Kumar, principal scientist, Quality Assurance and Management, at the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Kochi, said the institution could not collect samples of the ‘fuming’ fish to ascertain the cause of the weird activity. “When the incident was first reported, we conducted tests on fish sold in Muvattupuzha, but did not detect anything unusual,” he said. Almost half of the fish sold in Kerala markets come from other states.