FRESH OR SUPERFROZEN

WHY, OR WHEN, SHOULD I CONSIDER SUPERFROZEN?

DONT SWITCH
Fresh tuna is a wonderful product versatile and satisfying to work with such as tuna from a day-boat. If it were regularly available, then there would be less reason to consider SuperFrozen. SuperFrozen technology was developed to preserve medical samples exactly as at the time of sampling.

QUALITY AVAILABILITY

Fresh tuna quality is not perfect every day. Chefs must rely on their distributorwho must rely on his importer for the quality of product received. It depends on the catch and who gets allocation of the best. This is never so with SuperFrozeninventory is consistently top quality because of long buying. Fresh tuna is hard to get in February and March and prices rise. SuperFrozen inventories are maintained 365 days per year. There are no ups or downs to worry about. Fresh whole tuna, quarters or loins come skin on and blood meat in so it must be trimmed and cut to size. This involves labor, trimming loss, and waste of up to 30%.

ZERO WASTE

Fresh tuna must also be used within the week or further loss is possible. For smaller restaurants, whole loins may be too much inventory. SuperFrozen ships loins are already cut to your requirements saving time and labor. The product is ready to revive, prepare and serve. There is zero wasteno trimming or loss of any kind. Additionally, defrost just as much as needed and no more. The purpose of CO treating tuna is to give lower quality product the appearance of freshness. However, an unnatural, watermelon-red, color is the result. In fact, despite the color, CO treated tuna continues to deteriorate all the time. And chefs commonly say it has no taste or flavor. The purpose of Superfreezing is to preserve freshness of tuna. It is an expensive process and there is no reason to do it other than preservation. Therefore, NO additives, preservatives, or smoke of any kind are ever used. Tuna is a member of the scombridae family - creating histamines above 38F. Scombroid poisoning cannot be detected by appearance or taste. Freezing, cooking, smoking, curing, or canning, does not destroy the potential toxins. Prevention through proper handling and temperature control is vital. Distance - Fresh tuna may travel from SE Asia or South America there is no way to confirm proper handling throughout the journey.

ALL NATURAL

RISK CONTROL

Handling & Processing - There is so much handling of fresh tuna from catch to kitchen. It not only increases the risk of danger zone time, but also of contamination from handling. SuperFrozen avoids all these risks as it is SuperFrozen on board vessel, and processed whilst SuperFrozen and delivered to you SuperFrozen. There are no danger zone times ever. . .and the minimum amount of handling combined with extreme temperature eliminates the probability of introduction of other contaminants. For safety & sanitation, SuperFrozen when compared with fresh tuna is the winner.

TRACEABILITY

SuperFrozen is traceable from catch to kitchen. When you want that perfect tuna for raw or seared preparations - where absolute freshness gives your dish that extra touch, then SuperFrozen is your best option. Even the freshest tuna can not be hours old at your kitchenwhereas SuperFrozen-Fresher Than Fresh! is our motto. Now you dont have to use CO treated product you can use SuperFrozen.

RESULTS

FRESHER THAN FRESH!

Fresh tuna can be 3 weeks plus from date of catch. The tuna are stored in slush tanks for the duration of the trip. SuperFrozen product revives to a perfect state of just hours old evidenced by the portions exhibiting signs of rigor mortis. This you must confirm for yourself and we would be delighted for the opportunity to do so. Fresh Tuna has no pricing stability it fluctuates weekly depending on season, catch and demand. SuperFrozen, by its natures, has a number of pricing advantages.

PRICE

Cost effective especially when every ounce you receive is usable no waste at all. Stability we can provide pricing contracts for long periods of time. Fresh tuna can fluctuate as much as 30-75% especially February through March.

For full information, visit the website - www.uorikifresh.com

30 Tuna

Seafood International, March 2009

intrafish.com

Super tuna offers cool savings

Ben DiPietro

ith the restaurant industry suffering as much as any sector from the global economic downturn, eateries are looking hard to find cost savings wherever they can be found. This is creating great opportunities in the United States for super-frozen tuna, which until now has suffered from the stigma of having the word frozen in its name, even though it has nothing in common with the frozen seafood that makes chefs cringe when they are asked to buy it instead of fresh fish. Theres a natural negative perception of frozen in the United States, and its something that will take time for us to overcome, said Michael McNicholas, sales and marketing executive at Uoriki Fresh Inc., a Japan-based seafood supplier with $250 million (194 million) in turnover that in April purchased the North American super-frozen business from Japan-based Mitsubishi. The economy actually is a primary reason people are being so open minded, he said. Eighty percent of the tuna sold in Japan is

super-frozen, and 90 percent of Uorikis tuna business in Japan involves super-frozen products. Japanese consumers are known to have sophisticated palates when it comes to seafood, and the fact they accept super-frozen is a strong endorsement of its quality and taste, said McNicholas.

Tough crowd

Japanese consumers probably are the most difficult seafood consumers in the world, theyre certainly the most educated. We have seafood markets where we do $50,000 (39,000) a day in seafood and there are supermarkets in the U.S. who would love to do $50,000 a quarter, he said. The fact were investing so much time and effort here to bring it here means that we want to teach American chefs, and the American supermarkets, this is the way to go. Super-frozen tuna is cut and bled, then put into freezers at temperatures of minus-76 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour of being caught by fishermen, preserving it in as close to its natural state as possible. It can stay at this temperature until it is needed, and once thawed a process that takes

Japanese consumers probably are the most difficult seafood consumers in the world, theyre certainly the most educated. We have seafood markets where we do $50,000 (39,000) a day in seafood and there are supermarkets in the U.S. who would love to do $50,000 a quarter. Michael McNicholas, sales and marketing executive at Uoriki Fresh Inc.

six hours it is as fresh as it was the day it was landed on the boat by the fishermen. Because waste - byproducts, skin, blood, bone all are taken off before the tuna is frozen, theres no waste for chefs and retailers who can cut the fish to their specifications and sizes. Culinarians, they have no problem, they know something frozen correctly and thawed correctly is as good as anything they

Seafood International, March 2009

intrafish.com

Tuna

31

Super frozen: one major u.S. restaurant chain cut its tuna costs 30 percent using super-frozen product. pHoToS: uoriki fresh Inc.

JapaneSe favorITe: Eighty percent of the tuna sold in Japan is super-frozen.

enough about how happy they are with the super-frozen product. Garey Hiles, executive chef and operating partner at the Oceanaire in Orlando, Fla., began using super-frozen tuna in the middle of last year, and now wont buy any other kind. Ive pretty much stopped using all tuna except super-frozen, said Hiles. The quality is spectacular. Theres a reason why 80 percent of the tunas going into Japan are frozen. The quality is unmatched. Its a consistent product. Some of his wait staff inform diners they are eating super-frozen tuna, and Hiles said no one has complained about eating frozen fish. I think like all Americans, when you mention frozen, they think of things that come out of refrigerator. This is a completely different process, he said. There is no loss, no tearing, like you find in other American frozen fish. That won me over.

Eco-friendly fish

can get fresh, particularly with seafood, which has more moisture and muscle fiber structure than meat and breaks down quicker, said McNicholas, who works out of Uorikis New Jersey office. Properly frozen, the product cant be beat.

How frozen is super-frozen?

Using the same technology medical science deploys to preserve body parts think of the frozen heads of Walt Disney and baseball great Ted Williams tuna is preserved absolutely, which means there is no rush to get it to market, and little carbon footprint, as the product does not have to be flown anywhere. Super-frozen has no frequent flier miles. There is nothing flown anywhere, said McNicholas. We process it at the source and the only product we are shipping is product that is usable. Whole Foods is selling the companys superfrozen tuna at its stores, and several other major retailers are negotiating deals, he said. Restaurant chains such as The Oceanaire Room and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises have signed on, and some of their chefs cannot say

Tim Hockett, corporate chef at Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, which operates nearly three dozen restaurant concepts across the country, said all the benefits of no waste and low carbon footprint would matter little unless the tuna tasted as good, or better than the fresh or other forms being sold. We tested the product maybe six or eight months ago. We saw the product at a food show and it just looked like [it had] great quality, great flavor, sweetness, texture, he said. Thats all good, but if the product didnt taste good, we wouldnt have picked it up. The consistent pricing and consistent quality super-frozen tuna offers is hard to find with fresh tuna, which Hockett called hit or miss. Sometimes you get something and the color is off, sometimes its a little softer. Super-frozen has a consistent texture and color. Some restaurants in the chain buy 25 pounds a week, others between 75 pounds and 125 pounds, he said. With fresh tuna, if you dont move it, you wrap it up and try to keep it on ice, and maybe you get two, three or four more days of using it before it deteriorates, he said. With this, we get it in a frozen state, keep it packed in dry ice and it stays in that state. Our seafood purveyor has one of those super-freezers, said Hockett. They bring in 10 pounds, we thaw it out and use it right away, rather than getting 100 pounds of tuna in and having it doing its thing.

Big savings

That has allowed the chain to cut its tuna costs

about 30 percent, he said. We have a tuna ceviche here and there is no waste on the product. I give it to my guys and I dont have to worry if its cleaned properly, he said. Sometimes they leave a little [muscle] sinew and you dont have a consistent thing on the plate. With this, you have all sorts of cuts. They have bits, which are really kind of cheap, its from the end pieces, and we use those for our tuna burgers, which are great and half the price of normal tuna. In its sales literature, Uoriki shows potential buyers that, although they pay more per pound for super-frozen than fresh tuna, it ultimately costs less because there is no loss, no shrink, and no waste. Lettuce Entertain You leaves it up to the individual restaurant operators to decide if they want to use it, and how much to use it, but Hockett said he tries to get the chefs to understand the value of serving the superfrozen product. It makes total sense when chefs see it. Hiles uses super-frozen tuna for Oceanaires sashimi and tartare dishes, and for a special katsu dish that includes tuna rolled in nori seaweed that is sprinkled with panko and quick-fried before being covered in a ginger curry cream sauce. He is averaging purchases of between 80 pounds and 120 pounds a week. All the dishes have been spectacular, he said. One concern super-frozen advocates have is confusion among potential customers and consumers with carbon dioxide-treated tuna, which some retailers and restaurants use to give tuna a fresh-looking color long after the tuna should be considered fresh. While most of the world - including all of Europe, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and China have banned CO-treated tuna, it remains legal to sell it in the United States. While the law requires such product to be labeled color added or preserved with smoke or with some other identification, most supermarkets fail to do this, said McNicholas. The U.S. is about the only developed country that allows CO-treated meat and tuna, which I find incredulous, he said. This is a country where we pride ourselves on consumer protection, and we clearly allow a technology that is designed simply and solely to deceive the consumer. A bigger challenge, McNicholas said, is maintaining the cold chain to ensure superfrozen tuna keeps the proper temperatures throughout the handling process. That said, he sees a bright future for super-frozen in the United States, which he likens to where Japan was in the process two decades ago. If we went back 20 years in Japan, it is no different than it is today [in the U.S.]. If we go forward 20 years, you will see super-freezers in every supermarket holding product at minus-76 degrees, he said. You will see distributors, broadliners and even cold storage places hold product at minus-76 degrees. Super-frozen tuna is still in its infancy in this country. It is certainly something that will come in the future.

PREPARE WATER

Step 1:
Mix salt with 100F warm water. (1 tablespoon to 1 pint of water)

CLEAN

Step 2:

Under COLD running water, rub the surface to remove tuna dust from cutting. A clean surface ensures an even defrost.

SuperFrozen Defrost Instructions

SuperFrozen tuna is very white in appearance.

SOAK

Step 3:
Place in warm, salty water to soak for 11/2 to 2 minutes maximum.

RINSE, PAT DRY, & WRAP

Remove from warm water and rinse under COLD running water. Pat dry to remove surface water. DO NOT rub. Wrap in paper towel. For large amounts, line a hotel pan with paper towel, place pieces in pan ensuring they do not touch, cover with paper towel.
STORE

Step 4:

TUNA

BIGEYE AND YELLOWFIN

DO NOT wrap in plastic film during defrost. It prevents color coming up.

SHELF LIFE 2-3 days from defrost. Rigor mortis may cause some shrink or shape change. This is normal and proof of the freshness of the fish.

Store in cooler for 3-10 hours depending upon piece sizes. Ideally, defrost the night before use.

Step 5:

READY TO CUT

Step 6:

Ready to cut and eat

401 Penhorn Avenue | #6 Secaucus, NJ 07094 www.uorkifresh.com | 201-537-0306

3 STEP Defrost Instructions

Bluefin

TUNA
SUPERFROZEN

O-Toro: most highly prized fatty tuna Chu-Toro: the next level to O-Toro

Superfrozen tuna is very white in appearance.

READY TO EAT

Rinse
Under COLD running water, rub the surface, to remove tuna dust from cutting. A clean surface ensures an even defrost.

Wrap
Pat dry to remove surface water. DO NOT rub. Ice forming can cause color changes.

Refrigerate
Wrap with paper towel. For large amounts, line a hotel pan with paper towels, place pieces in pan ensuring they do not touch, cover with towel. Store in Cooler for 6 - 10 hours. Ideal timing: defrost the night before.

SHELF LIFE 2-3 days from defrost. Rigor mortis may cause some shrink or shape change. This is normal and proof of the freshness of the fish.

DO NOT wrap in plastic film during defrost. It prevents color coming up.

401 Penhorn Avenue | #6 Secaucus, NJ 07094 www.uorkifresh.com | 201-537-0306

UORIKI FRESH INC.

New Jersey Office/Plant 401 Penhorn Avenue, Unit #6, Secaucus, NJ 07094 TEL: 201-537-0306 FAX: 201-537-0307

How We Cut Bigeye & Yellowfin Tuna

1 Original Loin
Cut off Head and Tail pieces and then cut to 7" to 9" long chunk.

Chunk

Saku Cut

Saku Cut Side View

The Chunk are cut to 1" thick Saku. 'Saku' is a japanese term for a slice cut to a particular thickness such as 1".

Defrosted

Saku

Above Saku laid out

Defrosted

Saku Portion 7 Trimmed Saku

Saku Portion

Head Portion
Sinew trimmed from each Saku

Tail End Portion

Used Sashimi & Sushi Slices (73%)

Used for Rolls, Tartare, etc (27%)

Enjoy Super Frozen Tuna.

All About 'Miso' & 3 New Seafood Items From Uoriki

One of Nobu's signature dishes--black miso cod is pure seduction to one's palette. Those in the know are grateful that he has shared his recipe which can be found on many blogs, in magazines, websites and of course Nobu's cookbooks. Uoriki now introduces 3 Miso Marinated Products. Our fish are injection-marinated and then vacuum packed and frozen in this method, the marinade is just right in amount and is deeply absorbed giving the incredible flavors diners have come to love.
MISO STEELHEAD

ABOUT MISO
MISO (pronounced mee-so) is fermented soybean paste. But this unappealing description falls far short of what it really is and what its benefits are. MISO, with a texture similar to peanut butter, contains an abundance of protein and all the essential (and non-essential) amino acids, yet has a low salt, fat and calorie content. It comes in a wide variety of flavors and colors. All these properties derived from over a thousand years of refinement by traditional Japanese master craftsmen, makes MISO a versatile, satisfying and nutritious addition to cooking.

MISO BLACK COD

MISO's many benefits stem from the unique combination of properties soybeans have after undergoing the process of natural fermentation. Besides providing the body with essential nutrients, MISO promotes resistance to disease, helps the digestion and assimilation of all foods but particularly acidic foods such as sweets, meat and alcohol, neutralizes the harmful effects of nicotine in tobacco, increases the protein available from foods such as bead, noodles and other cereals, reduces the need for salt as a seasoning, serves as a concentrated source of energy. MISO can be used like bouillon in soups and stocks, like soy sauce in sauces and dressings, like cheese in casseroles and spreads, like relish with vegetables and sandwiches, as a topping on sauted or steamed foods, and like salt as a seasoning.

Cooking Instructions
1. Heat an iron skillet or grill or BBQ to very high heat. Lightly oil.

MISO SPANISH MACKEREL

2. Place portion skin side down for 3 4 minutes to crisp skin. Turn for 3 minute. Finish in oven at 350F. Dont overcook.

New Products
Product Description 1
Gindara saikyo zuke (miso marinated black cod) Sablefish from Alaska marinated with White Miso. Incredible rich, buttery, flavor make this a favorite in Japanese restaurants worldwide. Skin-on, bone-in fillet. Cut to portion size as needed. Sawara saikyo zuke (miso marinated Spanish mackerel) Under appreciated as a fish, miso adds a dimension to this fish that is sure to make it a winner with the tough US consumer. Skin-on, bone-in fillet. Cut to portion size as needed. Sake saikyo zuke (miso marinated steelhead trout) The familiar sweet taste of this member of the salmon family is enhanced with the miso marinade which brings out its flavor. Skin-on, bone-in fillet. Cut to portion size as needed.

Case Pack
10kgs (22lbs)

Price
$ 13.95/lb ($306.90/cs)

10kgs (22lbs)

$ 7.95/lb ($174.90/cs)

10kgs (22lbs)

$ 7.95/lb ($174.90/cs)

CHEF, LETS GET FRESH!

Need Fresh Tuna? Think SuperFrozen!
Sashimi Quality and Supreme Taste

Natural product. Never gas or smoke treated. Same grade, color range, and quality every time No waste or loss with this top quality product. No product loss whatsoever = 100% Yield 80% of tuna sold in Japan is SuperFrozen. The choice of Japanese chefs for almost 30 years 3 month xed price agreements are available
Use what top chefs use? SuperFrozen gives you consistency of product and grade quality, availability and delivery. Superfrozen revives to exactly the moment before it was frozen.

NO BUTCHERING, NO YIELD LOSS, NO SHRINK.

From The Experts:
The Oceanaire, Orlando Executive chef and operating partner.

CHEF GARY HILES

Ive pretty much stopped using all tuna expect super-frozen. The quality is spectacular. Theres a reason why 80% of tunas going into Japan are frozen. The quality is unmatched. Its a consistent product.
Seafood International, March 09

CHEF TIM HOCKETT

Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Chicago

The consistent pricing and consistent quality super-frozen tuna offers is hard to nd with fresh tuna. Super-frozen has a consistent texture and color
Seafood International, March 09

LEARN MORE AT www.minus76.com

SUPERFROZEN REVIVED

CHEF KIYOTAKA SHINOKI

Top Sushi Chef, New York City

When I was presented with SuperFrozen tuna back in Japan, I was skeptical, but quickly became a believer. It is amazingly like tuna that is only hours old in every aspect. In fact, I see my SuperFrozen tuna move into rigor mortis when I defrost it.

Uoriki Fresh Inc. BIGEYE GRADE SA (Super A)

In Japanese grading, SA(Super A) is the top level product. Full rich color every time.
Japans top shmonger, we own 41 seafood markets and restaurants. The SuperFrozen tuna process begins on boat, far out on the high seas. Our boats are specially tted with sophisticated equipment and the tuna is in the superfreezer within 20-40 minutes of landing. SEE FULL INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE

Price
See your local distributor or e-mail:

[email protected]

401 Penhorn Avenue #6 Secaucus, NJ 07094 | www.uorkifresh.com

| 201-537-0306

BITS Sashimi tuna

BITS are the actual trimming pieces from creating saku pieces for sushi. It is all Grade SA and B tuna, all up the most demanding applications that you have: tartare, poke, crudo, or put out the best sashimi tuna burger in town!
High Quality, High Margin, High Satisfaction! Burgers, spicy tuna, etc were a way to use old product. Now you can put up an amazing product for the summer using product normal used for sashimi. And at a price that is sure to please. HANDLING & DEFROST Simply soak in warm salty water for 90 seconds. Shake off excess water, pat them dry to remove excess water, and refrigerate. Ready to work with within an hour.

401 Penhorn Avenue #6 Secaucus, NJ 07094 www.uorkifresh.com 201-537-0306

UORIKI FRESH INC.

401 Penhorn Avenue, Unit #6, Secaucus, NJ 07094 Phone (201) 537-0306 Fax (201) 537-0307

HACCP CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

Attention: HACCP Manager

Re: CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE (HACCP)/LETTER OF GUARANTEE FDA Registration #: 13841455266

Date: January 1, 2010 This letter will serve as Uoriki Fresh Incs official notification that we continue to operate under the US Federal Food & Drug Act. Uoriki Fresh Inc, in our ongoing effort to deliver the safest, highest quality seafood product to our customers, has conducted a hazard analysis for all product, constructed and implemented a HACCP plan, written and implemented Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures (SSOP) and practice current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) as outlined by the U.S. Food & Drug in regulation 21 CRF Part 123. We guarantee that the SuperFrozen product supplied has been stored at colder than -76F for more than 7 days prior to shipment and that Frozen product has been below -20 F for more than 30 days prior to shipment and is therefore fully compliant with Federal and State laws on seafood meant for raw consumption.. Please include this document as part of your HACCP file as a continuing Certificate of Guarantee of our HACCP compliance. Our HACCP Manual is on file at Uoriki Fresh Incs corporate offices at 401 Penhorn Avenue #6, Secaucus, NJ 07094 and is available for inspection at any time. Please contact the undersigned with any questions or comments that you may have. Sincerely,

Valerie Bober Quality Assurance Controller Email: [email protected]

www.minus76.com