Depuration

Depuration of seafood is the process by which marine or freshwater animals are placed into a clean water environment for a period of time to allow purging of biological contaminants (such as Escherichia coli) and physical impurities (such as sand and silt).

[2] Today, modern seafood depuration is performed in segregated physical tanks using treated seawater that is sterilised either by way of chlorine, ultraviolet, or ozone.

Seafood depuration is legislated or regulated in many countries, including the United States, EU members such as France, Ireland, and Italy, and Japan.

The Codex Alimentarius, which is overseen by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), both recognises and encourages the application of seafood depuration.

[4] The long history of the depuration process which expands across many countries and is recognised by international agencies is contrasted by the scarce or nonexistent data in the commercial space of the seafood industry.