Anchovy belongs to the family Engraulidae, which counts among the fish able to form histamine, and the EU microbiological criteria set a histamine limit for products of that family: the mean of nine samples may not exceed 100 mg/kg and none may exceed 200 mg/kg. The Turkish regulation (Specific Hygiene Rules for Food of Animal Origin) leaves the limit to the relevant legislation and builds the chain like this:
- On board, the catch is protected from the sun and chilled as soon as possible after loading; a boat that cannot chill lands it at once (Article 45).
- On the quay, unloading is fast and the product goes into a protected environment without delay, held near the melting-ice temperature (Article 46).
- Transport is by refrigerated vehicle that drains the ice water; open vehicles are not used (Article 46).
- At the hall, unpackaged product stays under ice and is re-iced where needed (Article 47).
In peak season the queue is what most often breaks these steps. To see the queue, put hourly vessel arrivals, lot quantity, unloading rate, waiting lots, ice and container use and vehicle departures on one timeline; the average does not show the busiest shift, so the busiest shift in the records becomes the scenario. Place labour, ice, vehicles and empty-container space around the observed peak hours. Codex Alimentarius recommends fish be stored in shallow layers, surrounded by finely divided ice and not overstacked.
