Responsability Report
Our principles, our commitment
Curiosities
How much tuna do we eat?
Why do we buy tuna?
Nutritional properties
A precious source of proteins
A precious source of phosphorous
A precious source of vitamins
Versatility
Origins and quality
How should you choose tinned tuna?
Tuna production
Thanks to the fact that it is:
- a tasty product;
- a healthy product rich in proteins;
- versatile and suitable for the most varied dishes (appetisers, first courses, main courses, salads)
tinned tuna is
one of the most eaten foods in Italy.
It is an integral part of the main shopping list and is bought at both regular and periodic intervals.
Tuna is ever present in the food cupboard because of its extreme versatility and because it is liked by most members of the family, especially youth and children.
Pleasant images and sensations are associated with tinned tuna:
- the summer, the sea, the holidays;
- sudden but exhilarating hunger pangs;
- unexpected guests for dinner;
- a quick and tasty meal;
- a fresh and appetising taste;
- pleasant fragrance, pink colour and softness;
- enjoyable pairings with tomatoes, salad, potatoes and eggs.
Whenever tuna is mentioned, people immediately think about the tinned product. Indeed, the fresh or frozen varieties of the fish rarely find their way onto Italian dining tables.
When a tin of tuna is opened, the first things one perceives are its
fragrance
and
colour
.
The fragrance
: a mixture of sea smells and olive oil. Not too strong.
The colour
: pink. Not too dark.
Other elements which strike the eye include:
the compactness: the piece of tuna must be whole and “meaty”, without any flaky bits;
the olive oil: considered the ideal “container” for tuna, it must have the limpid but dense colour peculiar to olive oil and should barely cover the piece of tuna;
the softness: the piece must be tender, not dry or stringy.
Tinned tuna has undoubted nutritional qualities which are recognised even by consumers. Indeed, tuna has been described as “
a complete and nutritious food
and even as a source of energy by some nutritionists. It is not particularly fatty and is not dietetic (on account of the oil), though neither does it lead to an increase in cholesterol levels. It is a source of phosphorous, vitamins and proteins and is a genuine, simple and valid alternative to meat”.
Italians are becoming increasingly more aware and demanding as regards nutrition.
It is natural, therefore, that high quality food products should gain ground in the marketplace. These include tuna, which is much appreciated for its goodness and tenderness but also for its excellent nutritional values.
Thanks to its substantial protein content,
a 100g portion of tuna can supply about one tenth of an adult’s daily calorie needs.
Since they are easily assimilable,
the so-called “essential” proteins are vital for growth and for the building of tissues
throughout a human’s life, facilitating on-going health and strength thanks to enhanced cell turnover.
100g of tuna in olive oil contain 18.5g of proteins, more than a fresh beef steak of the same weight.
And if we consider that an adult’s daily requirement of proteins in grams is equivalent to his/her weight in kilos, tuna fish is without doubt a strong ally when it comes to formulating a complete, light and well-balanced diet.
Furthermore, thanks to the absence of connective tissue, tuna is easily digestible (only two hours against the three or four required for meat) and can therefore also be eaten by children and senior citizens.
Phosphorous, like calcium, favours the growth of healthy bones and teeth
and is one of the vital minerals for our organism. A fundamental and delicate task of phosphorous is
to control the balance of the nervous system.
Nutritionists advise a daily quantity of 800mg.
100g of tuna in olive oil ensure 20% of this daily requirement.
The phosphorous content of tuna is one of the highest among fish,
and this is another excellent reason why you should consider it a major ally when devising a complete, well-balanced and light diet for yourself or your family.
Tuna is without doubt one of the most nutritious fish, but it is also a light and healthy food because it contains
unsaturated fats
which do not trigger increases in cholesterol levels. It also supplies two precious vitamins for our wellbeing:
B12
(active in the assimilation of fats and proteins) and PP (or Niacin, which facilitates the transformation of nutrients into energy).
100g of tuna in olive oil provides about 50% of the daily requirement of vitamin PP
, almost double that of beef. As regards B12, the quantity contained in 100g of tuna is enough to cover your entire daily needs.
The consumer can choose from a number of varieties of tinned tuna available on the market:
Tuna in olive oil:
always perfect, can be eaten plain, in a rich salad or else as an ingredient for simple or imaginative dishes, including pasta, risottos, stuffed vegetables, main courses (the most famed being veal in tuna sauce!) sandwiches, and so on.
Tuna in brine:
the most suitable for people who want to keep healthy eating genuine and light food, in facts it contains only 107 calories per 100g of drained product
Tuna in extra virgin olive oil:
rich with the flavour of the best quality oil to be found in Italian cuisine, it can be eaten plain, in salads or in cold dishes where the lively taste of extra virgin olive oil really comes to the fore and can therefore be appreciated more fully.
Fillets of tuna:
made with the most prized part of the tuna and hand-processed in the oldest traditions.
Tuna steak:
an entire steak of especially tasty and compact tuna.
And finally, a wide range of condiments as well as tasty and easy-to-make ready-cooked tuna-based dishes.
Tuna comes above all from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, but also from the Mediterranean. It is omnivorous and feeds mainly on smaller fish. A powerful swimmer, it migrates in summer and autumn for reproductive purposes.
There are many different types of tuna:
The most common tuna,
Thunnus thynnus,
has a robust body with a dark blue metallic colour on the dorsal and silvery white hues with iridescences on the sides and on the belly. It can reach lengths of up to 3 m.
It is commonly present in Mediterranean waters and on the Black Sea, as wells as in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Its flesh is reddish brown and is rich in fats. In particular, the flesh from the abdominal region (or “belly of the tuna”) is much sought after, while the roe is used to make botargo (a type of caviar).
It is marketed mostly fresh and frozen for Sashimi recipes in Japan.
Thunnus alalunga
can be found in the temperate and tropical waters of all five continents and in the Mediterranean. It is a prized species with light pink flesh that whitens on cooking and is of good consistency and low fat content. Marketed frozen.
Big Eye,
is not much marketed. It is a dark-fleshed tuna that stands out for its strong “fishy” taste.
Little tuna
A name given to tuna of lengths below 1 m. There are various species of this fish with shifting degrees of commercial interest:
Euthynnus alletteratus
a robust and spindle-shaped body, dark blue on the dorsal and silvery white on the sides and on the belly. It can be found in the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean.
Euthynnus affinis
similar to the previous tuna but found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. A species of noteworthy commercial importance, it has many types of good quality but easily perishable flesh. Marketed frozen, smoked, tinned, salted and dried. Not very widespread.
Euthynnus lineatus
similar to the previous two types, it can be found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, from California to north Peru. Good dark-coloured flesh, but not very interesting from the commercial point of view. It is marketed fresh, above all in Latin America. Also not very widespread.
Katsuwonus pelamis o Skipjack
This species is of major commercial importance. It has a purplish dark blue dorsal and is silvery on the lower part of the sides and on the belly. It has 4-6 dark, longitudinal and very prominent bands on the sides and on the belly.
It is present in tropical and temperate waters of all oceans and in the Mediterranean.
Its flesh is slightly bitter and of medium consistency and fat levels. Bright red in colour, it is marketed fresh, frozen, dried and tinned.
Thunnus albacares o Yellowfin
Thunnus albacares is the scientific term for the yellowfin tuna fish. It is the most prized quality of tuna and the one most appreciated by Italian households.
Its multi-coloured body is dark blue on the dorsal, golden along the sides and silver on the belly. It is characterised by two elegant yellow dorsal fins. It is present in tropical and subtropical oceans (but lacking in the Mediterranean) in waters of between 18° and 31° C which are rich in oxygen. Its flesh is tasty and delicate and of low fat content. On cooking, the flesh changes colour to a nice pink, with thick and compact but tender “sheets”. To ensure optimum monitoring of this species, a supervised fishing area was set up in 1966.
These latter 2 species of tuna are the most commonly used in the production of tinned tuna for the Italian market.
There are several issues that an intending purchaser of tinned tuna should bear in mind. First, check the outer part of the tin to ensure there are no dents. Secondly, make sure there are no signs of rusting or swelling on the tin caused by deterioration of the content.
Finally, the main feature of a quality product is the species of tuna used, which in large part determines the characteristics of the finished product. Yellowfin tuna-based products will be tastier, tender and pink. Other things to look out for are:
The colour of the product:
must have no dark stains and be uniform and light pink.
The oil:
must be limpid and not mixed with water. It must have a yellow-green colour, above all in the case of tuna in extra virgin olive oil.
The appearance of the steak:
must be as whole and compact as possible, without excessive presence of flaking.
The consistency:
must be compact but tender, not stringy or fibrous.
The scent:
must be delicate and pleasing with a light fragrance of fish. Tins with a rancid or unpleasant smell should be thrown away.
The tuna is frozen in one piece on the boat just after fishing so that its nutritional properties are preserved and the fragrance remains intact.
During the freezing process, it is placed in a solution of water and salt and brought to a temperature of 18-21 degrees below zero.
Once in the factory, the tuna is slowly but gradually defrosted and then sectioned manually into large pieces in preparation for cooking.
The latter is done mostly by steam and is a very delicate process that will have a direct impact on the quality of the finished product.
In this phase, the tuna loses about 25% of the water contained in its flesh.
After cooking, the large pieces of fish are washed by hand.
This is the most critical phase of the entire production cycle in which the skin, the scales and the dark parts of the tuna are removed. At the end of this stage, the tuna is in the form of long-shaped “fillets” and a sharp knife is used to cut them into “pastilles” of the height required for tinning. A pre-established quantity of oil and salt is then added and the tins are sealed (seamed).
At this point
the closed tin undergoes a process of sterilisation
at a temperature of 110°-120° C to eliminate any organisms that might still be present inside the tin and that may become poisonous or else compromise the preservation of the product.
