Author: Kristín Edda Gylfadóttir

Reports

Salted fish delicacies: What is salted fish? Workshop 2022

Published:

14/12/2022

Authors:

Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, Þóra Valsdóttir, Aðalheiður Ólafsdóttir, Eva Margrét Jónudóttir, Sigurjón Arason

Supported by:

AG Fisk (Arbejdsgruppen for Fiskerisamarbejdet), NORA

Contact

Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir

Project Manager

kolbrun.sveinsdottir@matis.is

To strengthen the position of saltfish, with its long tradition, history and connection to Nordic livelihoods, it is important to strengthen the entire value chain, from producers and retailers, to chefs and consumers. The aim of the project "Saltfish delicacies" is to develop new or improved ready-made dishes based on traditional saltfish, and 16 participants from Iceland, Norway and the Faroe Islands are involved. The group consists of experts in saltfish processing and quality, cooking, food production, media and the travel industry.   

This report describes the workshop "What is saltfish?" which was held in the house of the Menntaskólin in Kópavogur, September 28, 2022 in collaboration with Matís, the Menntaskólin in Kópavogur (MK), Grím Kokk, Klúbbs Matreiðslumeista and Icelandic saltfish producers. The goal of the workshop was to share knowledge from various sources, and look for ways to strengthen the position of salted fish in the domestic market, and about 40 people attended the workshop. Short presentations were given by Matís experts on the history, culture, effectiveness and dewatering of salted fish. Also about the knowledge and attitude of consumers towards salted fish and its consumption in Iceland. The sensory properties of salted fish were presented, and attendees had the opportunity to taste and compare two types of salted fish and two types of salted fish. MK culinary students then presented their ideas behind salted fish dishes, which were served on the table. After that, we worked in three groups, each of which discussed the following topics: "What is salted fish - can we call salted fish salted fish?", "How do we reach the young people?" and "How can the product range be increased?".

The results of the workshop showed that it is important to distinguish between what is truly salted fish on the one hand and salted fish on the other. Salted fish, usually lightly salted or overnight salted, does not have the same characteristics as salted fish, which is fish finished with salt and brine and then dry-salted even for weeks, which after dehydration gives this product unique properties such as a characteristic taste and firm texture. It seems that there are endless opportunities and opportunities for the saltfish. However, we need to pay better for the way of salted fish to the Icelandic market. Saltfish should really be to us Icelanders, on par with what Parma ham is to Italians, at least. To promote knowledge, respect and consumption of salted fish, it needs to be better known and made more visible, not least among younger age groups. What hinders chefs and producers of products is that it is often difficult to obtain fully prepared, properly watered salted fish domestically. Dewatering requires a problem, but often the facilities, time or knowledge are not available. We need to reach younger consumers and improve the reputation of salted fish in general. The name saltfish is not very appropriate, as it has a reference to salted fish and has a negative image due to its association with second class fish. Dehydrated salted fish should not be too salty. Perhaps finished, dehydrated saltfish should be called something other than saltfish.

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Reports

Matís' report to NÍ 2022

Published:

14/12/2022

Authors:

Elísabet Eik Guðmundsdóttir

Contact

Elísabet Eik Guðmundsdóttir

Project Manager

elisabet@matis.is

The sampling period covered by this report is from 1 November 2021 – 31 October 2022. A total of 108 samples were taken during the period, all for research within the Europlanet collaboration. 

Reports

Value creation in Icelandic aquaculture

Published:

31/10/2022

Authors:

Gunnar Þórðarson and Sigurjón Arason

Supported by:

AVS Fisheries Research Fund / Food Fund

Contact

Gunnar Þórðarson

Regional Manager

gunnar.thordarson@matis.is

This report reports on the progress and main results of the research and innovation project "Value creation in Icelandic aquaculture", which was partly financed by the AVS Research Fund in the Fisheries Industry/Food Fund. In this project, an effort was made to reduce costs and increase the value of digestate production from side streams of aquaculture, where in particular attention was paid to reducing transport costs, by processing the digestate more, removing fish oil and water from it, which reduces volume and weight during transport. and gives the opportunity to work it into more expensive products.

Salmon farming in Iceland is growing rapidly, and if all plans go according to plan, salmon farming in the sea will reach 90 thousand tons within a few years. The resulting side streams could therefore exceed 20 thousand tons per year. There are also countless wildfires in Iceland, but big plans are underway in Ölfus, Vestmannaeyjar and Reykjanes, where there is discussion about the production of over 100 thousand tons of salmon.

Side streams in aquaculture are mostly divided into two categories, ie. K2, which is a fish that dies by itself in pens, and K3, which is offal that occurs during slaughter, as well as heads, spines and trimmings that occur during processing. Raw materials from K2 may not be processed for human consumption or feed for animals raised for human consumption, and therefore the markets for pet or fur animals must be considered. However, K3 can go into production for human consumption or in the feed of animals consumed by humans.

With increased fish farming, we can expect a large increase in side raw materials in the coming years, and it is therefore important to find ways to ensure environmentally friendly processing methods and at the same time to improve value creation in the processing of these side streams. In this project, at first glance, the production of flour and fish oil from these side streams, but such processing did not cover the costs. But the main reason for this was the high cost of transporting the raw material, which is mostly water, as well as the difficulty of storage due to rapid spoilage processes.

Therefore, the production of smelt was considered and the possibilities of improving value creation and reducing costs, especially during transport, were examined. Melta is a low-cost product, but by further processing it, extracting fish oil from it and then distilling 60% from the water, it would be possible to increase the value and reduce the cost of transportation to market.

The results of the project indicate that it is possible to process digestate in an economical way from side streams of aquaculture in this country and even create significant value by further processing the digestate into final products.

https://zenodo.org/record/7266680#.Y1-T8C2l2X0

Reports

Summary report of digestibility trial with Atlantic salmon in seawater

Published:

27/10/2022

Authors:

Wolfgang Koppe, Sven-Ole Meiske, Georges Lamborelle & David Sutter

Supported by:

TripleNine A/S

Contact

Georges Lamborelle

Station manager of Matís Aquaculture Research Station

georges@matis.is

This report is closed

Reports

Differential phosphorus uptake by juvenile European catfish (Silurus glanis) from feed and water in a recirculating aquaculture system

Published:

19/09/2022

Authors:

Claudia Prats Llorens, Wolfgang Koppe, David Sutter, Alexandra Leeper

Supported by:

Guarantor

This report is closed

Reports

Lupine in review, fibers of the future – Process development, chemical, microbial and textural analysis

Published:

30/06/2022

Authors:

Sophie Jensen, Rósa Jónsdóttir

Supported by:

Technology Development Fund

Contact

Rósa Jónsdóttir

Research Group Leader

rosa.jonsdottir@matis.is

This report is closed

Reports

Differential phosphorus uptake by juvenile European catfish (Silurus glanis) from feed and water in recirculating aquaculture system

Published:

30/05/2022

Authors:

Claudia Prats Llorens

Supported by:

Guarantor

This report is closed

Reports

Claw bladder culture for the production of bioactive ingredients - Analysis of substances and microorganisms

Published:

04/07/2022

Authors:

Þóra Valsdóttir, Alexandra Klonowski, Brynja Einarsdóttir, Réne Groben, Rósa Jónsdóttir

Supported by:

AVS

This report is closed

Claw sheet (Shcyzimenia jonssoni) is a red algae that has only been found off the coast of Iceland. Little is known about the properties of claw bladder, but bioactive properties have been found in related species that grow abroad. This report presents the results of measurements of the composition of claw blades in terms of use in food, dietary supplements and cosmetics. The nutritional value and wholesomeness of chlorophyll were assessed, screened for the bioactivity of biochemicals and microorganisms in the chlorophyll environment. A comparison was also made of claw leaves from cultivation and nature. The results indicate that cloverleaf has similar properties to salt and could be marketed as such, ie. as an algae. Results of antioxidant and antiviral activity suggest that claw leaves contain interesting bioactivity properties that are worth exploring further. Comparison of measurements of beach claw and cultivation indicated similar characteristics. 
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Claw sheet (Shcyzimenia jonssoni) is a red algae that has only been found off the coast of Iceland. Little is known about the properties of klóblaðka, but bioactive properties have been found in related species that grow in other countries. This report presents the results of measurements of the composition of klóblaðka with respect to use in food, dietary supplements and cosmetics. The nutritional value and safety of klóblaðka were assessed, and the bioactivity of biological substances and microorganisms in the environment of klóblaðka was screened. A comparison was made of cloverleaf from cultivation and nature. The results indicate that klóblaðka has similar properties to dulse and could be marketed as such, ie as food. Results of antioxidant and antiviral activity suggest that klóblaðka contains interesting bioactivity properties that are worth exploring further. Comparison of measurements of klóblaðka from sampled from the coast and cultivation indicated similar characteristics.

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Reports

Summary report of Digestability and growth trial on Atlantic salmon in saltwater

Published:

07/07/2022

Authors:

David Sutter, Elvar Steinn Traustason, Georges Lamborelle

Supported by:

Guarantor

This report is closed

Reports

Stress of salmonid fish during pumping

Published:

30/06/2022

Authors:

Gunnar Þórðarson - Matís, Agnar Steinarsson - Marine Research Institute, Ásgeir Bjarnason - Stjörnu-Oddi, Ína B. Össurardóttir - Skaginn 3X

Supported by:

Icelandic Food Innovation Fund (is. Matvælasjóður)

Contact

Gunnar Þórðarson

Regional Manager

gunnar.thordarson@matis.is

Minimizing the stress of salmonids during fire handling can be crucial in ensuring the welfare, growth and survival of the fish, as well as the quality and shelf life of closed products. Stress during treatment, eg against lice, can reduce the resistance of fish to infections and colds as well as reduce growth; because it may take the salmon some time to recover and start feeding again. If the pumping of fish for slaughter causes a great deal of stress that can affect the quality of the products. It is also important to meet animal welfare requirements in aquaculture along with increased pressure from consumers. 

Vacuum pumps, which are most commonly used in aquaculture today, are known to cause considerable stress, depletion and poorer quality, as pumping involves a lot where the air space with fish is evacuated and then fired to pump the fish. Therefore, manufacturers of pumping equipment have been looking for new ways of pumping salmonids and the Icelandic company Skaginn 3X has been developing a so-called spiral pump (Archimedes pump) as a solution to this problem. The pump has been named ValuePump.

In this project, a prototype of the pump was built and then comparative experiments were made with it and a traditional vacuum pump, where the stress in the fish during the pumping was measured with heart rate sensors, as well as measurements of the production of stress hormones in the blood.

Experiments were carried out in the facilities of the Marine Research Institute in Reykjanes under the direction of specialists in aquaculture and in the use of heart rate sensors. During a four-week period, 100 salmon (about 1 kg average weight) were pumped once a week with each pump, of which 20 salmon had an internal heart rate sensor from Stjörna-Oddi. 

The results showed a significant difference between groups following pumping. Heart rate rose sharply during pumping, but the ValuePump group was quicker to recover and regain baseline. Pumping with a vacuum pump had a much greater long-term stress effect than experimenting with maximum stimuli where the fish crackled on dry land. There was also a large visual difference between the groups according to the type of pump, as fish pumped with a vacuum pump often came injured or even dead from the pump, swam sideways or upside down hours after pumping. Fish that were pumped with ValuePump, however, did not experience any visible damage during the pumping and seemed to be doing well after it. 

The results of the comparative experiments must be considered very positive, but further research is needed to definitively determine the advantages of ValuePump over conventional vacuum pumps. It seems clear from the results of the project that salmon that are pumped with ValuePump are quicker to recover after pumping and then start feeding again. The results regarding pumping for slaughter are not as obvious and require further research, especially since fish that have reached slaughter size need to be examined under real conditions. 
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Minimizing the stress of salmonids during handling and before slaughtering can be extremely important for welfare, survival and growth, as well as to ensure overall quality and shelf-life of the final products. Stress during treatment, eg, against lice, can reduce the resistance of fish to infections and cold seawater as well as reduce growth which may take the salmon some time to recover from stress and start feeding again. If the pumping of fish for slaughter causes a lot of stress, it can affect the quality of the products. Animal welfare is also becoming more important in aquaculture with increased welfare demands from the consumers.

It is known that vacuum pumps, that are most commonly used in the aquaculture industry today, cause considerable stress, loss and poor quality, as pumping causes a lot of discomfort for the fish. Companies have therefore been searching for an alternative to vacuum pumping for some time. The Icelandic company Skaginn 3X has for some time been developing a so-called Archimedes pump to replace vacuum pumps. 

In this project, a prototype of the Archimedes pump (called ValuePump) was made, and then compared to a conventional vacuum pump. The pumping stress of fish was measured by cardiac sensors along with the measurement of a stress hormone Over a 4-week period, 100 salmons (1 kg average weight) were pumped once weekly with either pump, including 20 salmons implanted with heart rate loggers from Star-Oddi.

Experiments were carried out in the facilities of the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in Reykjanes under the supervision of specialists in aquaculture and the use of cardiac sensors.

The results showed a significant difference in heart rate recovery between the two groups. There was a large increase in heart rate immediately after pumping but the ValuePump group recovered more quickly to pre-pumping levels. Pumping with the vacuum pump caused a larger and longer stress effect then an applied max stress chase protocol. There was also a considerable visible difference between the two groups, where the vacuum pump fish were injured or even dead after pumping, swimming on the side or upside down for hours after pumping. The ValuePump fish, however, received no visible physical damage from the pumping and seemed fit. 

The results of the comparative studies indicate very positive results, but further studies are however needed to validate the results. It is apparent that salmon pumped with ValuePump is faster to recover than when pumped with vacuum pumps and is as results faster to start feeding again after handling. Results regarding pumping of fish for slaughtering are not as comprehensive and need to be studied further, particularly by analyzing fish that has reached slaughter size and preferably in real industry setting. 

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