Un quart de siècle d'évolution de la conserverie des produits de la mer

The business of seafood for direct consumption in France is divided into three distinct technological procedures of stabilisation: - The drying and salting processes are the oldest. They experienced a steep decline starting at the Second World War and, paradoxically, they appear today as high-end products. - Appertisation (heat sterilising procedure developed by N. APPERT in 1801) was very widely developed along the entire French shoreline from many small companies at the end of the 19th century. The three main species processed are the sardine, mackerel and tuna. - Deep freezing is a more recent activity compared with the two preceding ones. It was developed in France starting in 1960. The growth of the market was accompanied by the creation of several companies. Custom often contrasts the modernity of deep-freezing with a more traditional, even obsolete image of canning. The study of the recent changes in the canning industry shows that the latter developed a strategy that, in some regards, puts it in a relatively more favourable position than competing procedures.