Examples of complaints from fish sauce

There was a transparent glass-like foreign object in the fish sauce.

A photograph of a glass-like transparent foreign object

• Size: A large number of fine crystals of 9mm x 7mm x 5mm and 1mm x 1mm.
• Color: Transparent
• Solubility: Insoluble in water and ethanol, dissolve in rare hydrochloric acid
• Stereo microscope: Transparent crystals of pentagons and hexagons
• Fluorescent X-ray analysis: I recognized phosphorus and magnesium.
• Infrared spectroscopy: A spectrum similar to magnesium ammonium phosphate was observed.

As a result of the analysis, it was estimated that it was a crystal of strabytes (magnesium ammonium phosphate). Strabytes are colorless rectangular crystals, are insoluble in cold water, and when left in the atmosphere, they dry and become white.

Strabytes are sometimes found in canned salmon and fish sauce. Magnesium and phosphate compounds in fish meat combine with ammonia generated by the heating of the meat, which reduces solubility by cooling after heat sterilization and elutes.

Published on March 8, 2007