Almost four out of every ten fish we eat have anisakis, so knowing it is fighting it. Thus, the OCU responds to seven key questions that we all ask ourselves as consumers.
A study carried out by the OCU (Organization of Consumers and Users) reveals that up to 36% of the fish consumed in Spain carries a parasite, called Anisakis, capable of causing gastroenteritis and serious allergic reactions.
According to the Marine Research Institute of Vigo, belonging to the CSIC (Higher Council for Scientific Research), it is estimated that between 7,700 and 8,300 cases of anisakis occur annually in Spain.
Spain leads the incidence
In fact, our country leads the incidence of contracting this parasite, perhaps due to its high intake of fish (26 kilos per person per year). This being the case, the best way to combat it is to know it. For example, anisakis is killed by frying, grilling, or freezing fish. However, it survives in other cases (sushi, ceviche, anchovies in vinegar or grilled sardines).
Tips
The OCU report responds to the . Thus, to the question of what is anisakis? We must answer that it is a fish parasite that usually lives in the sea and that if it ends up reaching our stomach, it is likely that we will suffer from gastroenteritis or allergies.
In the first case, the symptoms (stomach pain, vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea, constipation…) can start up to one or two days after eating the fish. In severe cases it can cause intestinal obstruction and usually does not cause fever.
Likewise, it can lead to allergies, which begin either within a few minutes or a few hours after ingesting it. This allergy usually remains in a mild hives or, in extreme cases, lead to anaphylactic shock (decrease in blood pressure with risk to life).
seen with the naked eye
To the question of how to know if one is infected with anisakis, it should be noted that it reaches us through the fish we eat (hake, whiting, anchovies, etc.), so if we look closely, it is possible to distinguish it with the naked eye, since in fresh fish the parasite is alive and moving. When the fish dies, it moves to the muscles and forms a cyst. If we eat raw, undercooked or marinated fish, the risk of eating it increases.
How to fight it?
How is anisakis killed? The answer is easy: the parasite dies if the fish is fried or baked, but it can live on if it is marinated or smoked. High temperatures (from 60-70 degrees kill anisakis).
Anisakis also perishes if it is frozen for at least five days at a temperature of 20 degrees below zero, except in the case of smoked salmon, since its industrial processing eliminates it. Likewise, salted fish is safe, and both cod and anchovies reach sufficient salinity to inactivate the parasite.
Bad habits
When asked why there are now more anisakis, the OCU replies that this is due to the increasingly widespread practice of gutting fish on the high seas and throwing their viscera into the water. Viscera that are then eaten by other fish, which become infected and spread it. The increase in people with allergies and the fashion of eating sushi or other raw or undercooked fish also influences.
On the other hand, how many fish and people does it affect? According to the latest data, in Spain up to 36% of the fish has anisakis, especially that from the Bay of Biscay (50%). Only 6% comes from the Mediterranean. The number of people with allergies is practically impossible to measure, with data ranging between 6% and 56% of the population, although it seems to be more frequent in the Cantabrian regions.
What fish is it on?
Another unknown that we probably want to clear up as consumers is what fish has anisakis, since with all fish there is the same risk. Freshwater fish (trout, perch or carp) do not have anisakis, while the risk is minimal in oysters, clams, cockles, mussels and shellfish in general, even if eaten raw.
At the other extreme are the fish most commonly contaminated with the parasite, such as hake, sea bream, blue whiting, anchovies, pijota, whiting, redfish, haddock, cod or horse mackerel. In Spain, many cases are explained by the consumption of anchovies in vinegar and grilled sardines without gutting and undercooked.
In this sense, it is necessary to observe that not all fish is equally contaminated, since the anisakis parasite is usually concentrated in the abdominal area, while its presence is scarce in the tail part.
On whether or not it is legal to sell fish with anisakis, the OCU reveals that the law allows its commercialization: it only proposes its withdrawal if the infestation is very evident, so several larvae are not enough, however visible they may be.
fish consumption
In addition, the fishmonger is not obliged to return the money, even if when you get home you discover a lot of anisakis in the fish. However, it is advisable to take two to three servings of fish per week.
What counts is keeping the parasite at bay, gutting it as soon as possible to prevent it from moving to the muscles (whether you do it yourself or the fishmonger, in this case rushing is a good adviser), frying it, roasting it, freezing it or avoiding eating it marinated or in vinegar if not previously frozen.
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