Philippine based General Tuna Corp., the exporting arm of Century Canning Corp., is putting up a P43-million tuna processing facility that would employ a new technology in the processing and canning of raw pack tuna that would preserve the fish nutrients and taste of a raw tuna for exports to France.
Trade and Industry Undersecretary Elmer C. Hernandez, who is also Board of Investments (BoI) managing head, said the project was approved on a non-pioneer status but with no prejudice to being upgraded into pioneer once the Department of Science and Technology certifies that the purported technology is new and not yet tested in the local market. Pioneer status would entitle it to four years in income tax holiday (ITH) but can be upgraded to pioneer for six years ITH as applied for by the company. .
The facility, located in the nearby area of the existing plant of Century Canning in Barangay Tambler in General Santos City, has a capacity of 161,580 cases of processed tuna for exports.
It will start operation in January next year employing a total of 164 workers. The company is 99.86 percent owned by Century Canning Corp. It has an authorized capital of P500 million, subscribed of P179.005 million and paid-up of P161.219 million.
Based on its BoI registration, the company explained that its technology in processing raw pack tuna is new and untried in the country.
Raw pack tuna is a special variant of canned tuna, the company said, stressing that its main distinction from the regular or the alternatively known as the double cooked tuna is the method of canning.
With the double cooked variant, the tuna is thawed, eviscerated, washed and pre-cooked before it is loined, placed in cans, and cooked again in the retort.
But pre-cooking removes the fish oil components and coagulates the protein in the fish to loosen the meat. Loining rids of the heads, tails, black meat, and other waste materials in the fish that have not been removed during evisceration.
In the raw pack method of canning, the pre-cooking phase is skipped, as the tuna is thawed then butchered to remove the heads, tails, skin and viscera.
It is then loined (removal of the black meat while fish is still in the raw state), placed in cans, then drained and dried.
The butchering and drying phases are done in an isolated and humidity controlled room to prevent build up of histamine. After drying, the liquid in the form of oil, brined, water and sauce is added to the cans. Finally, the cans are sealed, washed and sterilized with steam or hot water.
The company claimed that this method would preserve the original raw taste of the tuna that is preferred by the French customers.
Given its distinct method of canning, raw pack tuna production requires special plant facilities.
The company said the process makes use of a butchering and skinning machine for fast, precise and efficient cutting and evisceration of fish after thawing. The butchering and loining conveyor together make up for the absence of the pre-cooking stage of tuna canning.
The new investment would be financed by 20 percent equity and 80 percent loan.
GTC is owned 99.86 pecent of Century Canning Corp., canners of Century tuna. Its principal officers include Ricardo S. Po as chairman and president; Ricardo T. Po as executive vice president and Teodoro T. Po as vice president for manufacturing.
GTC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the manufacture and trade of all kinds of food and food products such as but to limited to fish and other marine products.