Canned tuna keep gaining popularity even in the recent years. Not only because tuna gives a lot of benefits but also because this meat is very versatile compare to other fish meat. It is high in protein but also low in calories, this is why a lot of people choose it as part of their daily healthy diet. But before you can consume the tuna meat, it will need to go through tuna production line to be canned after being caught in the sea. Although there are many brands of canned tuna in the market today, most of the process in their production line is similar one another. However, the implement technology behind each machine used in the production line might differ according to the specification that the factory wants for their end product.

After being caught in the sea, the tuna is freeze then brought to the factory for further process. They are put inside big bins to make it easy for the truck to deliver them to the factory location. After they arrived, the bins would then be stacked inside cold storage inside the factory before being brought into the tuna production line.

The first production line that they will go through is the sizing line. In this line each tuna will be separated according to its weight and size before being put into the next line. The tuna will be dump out from the storing bin into double conveyor which will bring it into the shaker. The shaker function is to align the tuna and fit them into the elevator for further process. This elevator is the one that will feed the tuna into the sizer according to their size.

The sizer on tuna production line can only be feed with tuna that has less than ten kilos weight. If there are tunas that have more than ten kilos weight, they will then be collected separately since they will need to be cut to the correct loin size during the pre cooking process. For smaller tuna that has less than ten kilos weight, they will then be dump once again into the bin to bring them into the next production line.

This next production line is the pre cooking line where the tunas will be cleaned before being cooked. Smaller tuna that has less than ten kilos weight which being brought into this line using bins will be dump into the double conveyor once more. It will go into the cleaning line directly in a whole. In this cleaning line the workers will manually separate the tuna’s tail and head. The skin as well as dark meat will be scraped off the meat so it will become a clean tuna loin that is ready to be process in the next production line.

For larger tuna that has more than ten kilos weight which being collected separately before, it will be brought into the cutting tuna production line. In this line they will clean and cut them separately into smaller size loin to suit the other tuna size in the cleaning line.

After being cleaned, the tunas will be put into the racks where it will be delivered to the pre cooked machine. This machine will then be cooked those tunas with steam in suitable cooking time according to the tunas size. Afterwards the tunas are left to cool down before being brought into the next production line.

After it reaches desired temperature, the pre cooked tuna is manually put to the sanitary belt that will bring it into tuna filler. This tuna production line machine is the one that will put the tuna inside cans with specific weight and size. The machine will be set beforehand so it will only input desired amount of tuna meat inside the cans. This is why canned tuna have similar weight one another.

The can that have been filled with tuna in specific amount will be delivered into vacuum and oiler line using conveyor belt. While being delivered using conveyor belt, it will be filled with brine. After it arrives in the vacuum machine, it will be vacuumed and oil is added before being closed by the closer machine. This is the last tuna production line for the canned tuna before being distributed.

Tuna fish recipes are great choice to start your day with a plenty of food that taste tasty. You can use either fresh and raw tuna or frozen tuna meats, but most people tend to use canned tuna fish because it is easier to manage and almost every grocery store sold them. The simplest way to taste a tuna is to make a simple tuna sandwich or tuna casseroles and we believe you have certain memories of those tuna recipes when you were a little. You can make a sandwich with tuna plus whole wheat bread. It is very simple but provides a full of flavor.

For your information, canned tuna fish usually are sold with three different forms and they are in chunk, fancy or solid pack, and grated or flaked. The most expensive out of the three forms should be the solid pack because it contains large chunks of fish meat while canned chuck tuna has smaller fishes inside and thus sold in lower price. As for grated and flaked tuna, this type of tuna is very mushy and that’s why you maybe do not want to try or even buy this tuna. Anyway, there are various types of canned tuna that sold at grocery stores such as:

-          Yellowfin tuna: This tuna usually labeled as light type of tuna on the cans and it has a bit stronger flavor than albacore tuna. Light tuna itself consists of several other different tunas as well.

-          Albacore tuna: Although the mercury level of albacore tuna is higher than the other types of tuna, but this tuna is the most expensive canned tuna compared with other types of tuna. Albacore tuna is labeled as white tuna on the cans and it has mildest flavor thus you may want to substitute it with chicken meats in the recipes sometime.

-          Bonita tuna: This tuna has the highest fat content and strongest flavor and it is usually sold as canned product. When you take a canned tuna at groceries store but you do not see any labels like ‘white tuna’ nor ‘light tuna’ then it is highly possible the canned tuna in your hand is skipjack tuna or bonita tuna.

Anyway, there is some new variety of canned tuna products in stores which is shelf-stable and sealed pouches. This product package the tuna without water or oils addition that we mostly like to see when buying canned tuna for our simple tuna fish recipes. It also processed with shorter time so the meats are fresher than usual canned tuna. Canned tuna is sold with different flavors as well thanks to herbs or spices addition.

What is the best canned tuna to use for tuna fish recipes?

Tuna is packed in either oils or waters, however tuna in oils have superb flavor and if you drained off the can, it will reduce the calories of tuna as well meaning it does not have many calories as much as tuna in water. Meanwhile tuna in water provides fine taste of recipes and tuna in vegetable oil has no additional flavor so it is better not to choose that one.

Moreover, there are a lot of reports about mercury level in canned tuna fish and many people recommends that you need to limit consume the tuna meats up to 2 cans per week. Canned tuna labeled as light tuna has lower mercury level white tuna (albacore) and that’s why you need think about this information before you buy your tuna canned fish then make your recipes.

There are various tuna fish recipes that made from high quality tuna meats which you can try, for example:

-          Tuna Risotto which is wonderful thanks to the creamy rice combined with tuna savory flavor

-          Tuna Waldorf Salad which is fresh and light, using tuna meat instead of chicken so it is cheaper

-          Tuna Carbonara that combine eggs, spaghetti, olive oil, chopped vegetables, and of course canned tuna

-          Parmesan tuna sandwiches which combine parmesan cheese, red bell pepper, mayonnaise, and tuna

-          Grilled Tuna Melts which is very simple to make and have delicious taste

-          Tuna Croquettes which you need to try and you can replace the tuna with salmon meat too

You can find those special tuna fish recipes on internet and try to make them on your own in the weekend with!

As a multipurpose food, tuna can be used in a lot of dish such as salad, sandwich, casserole, snack and other kinds of recipe. Since it is quite hard to get the product fresh, you will see a lot of tuna product in can. However, recently there is new form of tuna fish in pouch as the variety. Basically, both form has the same product, but because of the processing technique used in the making of pouch tuna, it make the structure a little bit different compared to the canned tuna. In fact these differences can easily be notice by everyone who tries this processed food the first time.

During the making process tuna meat which is packed inside a pouch or a can will be heated in order to eliminate any kinds of bacteria which able to contaminate the meat. Because of the packaging material difference, tuna meat which packed inside a can will require higher temperature in order to be able to heat the can. However tuna meat which packed inside a pouch will require lower temperature in order to be able to heat the pouch. The pouch itself is made using polymer film and foil material which also being used in ready to eat food for military purpose. That is why the pouch is safe to use and heat will be able to penetrate into the pouch quicker because it is thin but still strong to use.

As you know tuna meat which packed inside a can will need to add water in order to block out the air from penetrating the can. However this is not necessary for the tuna fish in pouch thus it does not have any water inside the pouch. If you see a little water inside the pouch, it is most likely comes from the fish itself and not any added water to the pouch. However, because there is no added water on the tuna meat which packed inside a pouch, then you might need to add plenty of mayo when making tuna salad using it.

Seeing from the consistency, tuna meat which packed inside a can will have large size pieces. That is because it is packed inside a solid and sturdy can thus it will be able to protect the tuna meat to still be intact. On the other hand tuna fish in pouch will have smaller size pieces, which is mushy and softer. That is because it is packed inside a pouch which is very soft thus it does not provide any support to the tuna meat inside so they will put smaller size pieces in order to prevent more damage to the tuna meat. However, we cannot determine which consistency is better since it will depend on your own preference on which consistency and size that you will like to have with your meal. 

From the size, we can easily see that the tuna fish in pouch will only need smaller size storage. Because the packaging is flexible, you can stuff it inside a lunch box easily or store it inside full pantry and cabinet storage. However, tuna meat which packed inside a can will get more protection to content even though they will also need more space to store and not very easy to open and take everywhere. Green product wise, the can which used to packed tuna meat can be recycled while the pouch pack is only usable once and cannot be recycled.

From the price, you can easily see that the tuna meat which packed inside a can is cheaper compared to the tuna meat which packed inside a pouch. In comparison, the Fresh Tuna meat which packed inside a pouch almost has twice the price of the tuna meat which packed inside a can. Many famous tuna brand have both variations in their product so you can choose according to your preference. However, you should also remember that the tuna meat which packed inside a pouch does not have any added water, thus it is actually contained more tuna meat compared to the canned one since they still have some water inside the can. So it is understandable that the tuna fish in pouch has higher price compared to the tuna meat which packed inside a can.

Tuna canned food maybe a great challenge for people who have high blood pressure. Canned tuna product is an easier way to make delicious meal like mixed with simple vegetable salad and mayonnaise. Unfortunately, just like any other canned fish, tuna also contain high level of sodium which can increase blood pressure and this is not good for someone with hypertension already. But if you know how to prepare the tuna salad correctly, you can reduce its sodium content and thus make it suitable and safer to be eaten by people with high blood pressure. With extra time to prepare canned tuna fish, it is worth to try for the shake to get those tasty tuna salad!

How to prepare tuna canned food for high blood pressure people?

Follow this step by step instructions to prepare your tuna canned food for salad :
-          First prepare your canned tuna fish, note that both tuna in oils and tuna in water contain the same amount of sodium level. But, tuna in waters offer less fat than tuna in oils so you may want to choose this instead. Moreover, there is no sodium difference between canned light and white tuna.
-          Open the can of tuna and then scoop them into a strainer. Next rinse them properly in order to remove the salt used to preserve the tuna as much as possible.
-          After you are done, place the tuna onto the plate and use paper towel to pat them dry. You can use the tuna later or if you want to keep them, please be sure to store the tuna in refrigerator or freeze them to keep the meats in best condition. However, it is better to use the tuna as soon as possible.

Follow above steps to prepare your tuna and when you want to eat salad tuna, please avoid any spices or sauces that rich in sodium such as pickle relish and mayonnaise which offer 122 milligrams of sodium and 105 milligrams of sodium per tbsp respectively. You can replace them by choosing vinegar or olive oil which contains lower or no sodium level.

How to freeze your tuna canned food salad?

If you have leftover tuna canned food salads then do not toss it right away because you can freeze the salad to be eaten later. Tuna salad can be a healthy choice for diet as long as you keep it moderate. Before you store the salad, you need to prepare spatula, plastic container with tight lid, and freezer tape. After that, follow these rules when you want to store the tuna salad and make sure that the container is sealed properly so you can get an airtight freeze:

For your information, tuna salad will freeze better when it has low oil and that’s why before you store the tuna, use less oils or sauces or better none. In addition, do not use one plastic container to freeze large amount of tuna salad because it will slower the freezing process. You may need several plastic containers to store the salad for later use.

Tuna salad will be a good choice for healthy diet menu since tuna rich in protein and less in calories. Besides that, tuna also contain omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and other minerals to help your body system and function while reduce the risk of several illness. Although, having tuna canned food need to be limited due to the mercury level contained in the fish especially people with high blood pressure, but as long as you have moderate consumption then it is okay and safe for body.

Canned tuna with vegetables oil is a product that you should always bring whenever you go for camping trip. The reason is because can tuna has high protein which can help to give you energy during your trip. Furthermore it also portable, thus it will be very easy to bring it into the camping ground. There are many kinds of food that you can make using can tuna as the ingredient, thus everyone can have their favorite food using only one ingredient. And do not forget that can tuna is very cheap, thus you can purchase enough for your entire group meal when going on camping trip without having to spend too much on it.

Before you going on a camping trip, surely you need to shop for some food that you can bring. There you can see many kinds of can tuna food items that you can purchase thus you might be confused on which items to bring on your camping trip. That is why you might want to know more information about can tuna as item that you can bring during your camping trip. Now let us discuss it further, so you will be more knowledgeable about can tuna before you go shopping for camping items.

1.      Can tuna items

After having that information, now you can choose canned tuna with vegetables oil items that you think more suitable to be brought camping.