Bivalve Shellfish Quality in the USA: From the Hatchery to the Consumer

Shellfish aquaculture has had a long tradition in Asia, Europe, and the western USA, but it is only within the past century that significant cultural and handling practices have been identified, developed, and introduced to improve and enhance shellfish food quality. Shellfish are now being marketed with an emphasis on product quality, product variety, reduced human health risk, and improved ease of preparation. Aquacultured bivalve shellfish products must now have the food quality characteristics of other high-quality seafood products and must meet accepted standards of taste, color, texture, and odor. This review summarizes current efforts within the shellfish industry to improve the food quality of aquacultured bivalve shellfish in the following focus areas: (i) genetic selection and controlled breeding; (ii) production tools; (iii) food safety protection and enhancement; and (iv) processing and creative marketing efforts, with major emphasis on the US shellfish aquaculture sector.