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Reports

Energy utilization when using ice slush in fish processing

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Róbert Hafsteinsson, Kristján Jóakimsson

Supported by:

AVS Fisheries Research Fund

Energy utilization when using ice slush in fish processing

This project is a joint project of Hraðfrystihús Gunnvarar (HG) and Matís. Its aim is to minimize the use of sludge in the processing of fish and thus the energy consumption that comes with producing the sludge. This project is a 6-month preliminary project funded by the AVS Research Fund. The result of this report is the results of experiments with sludge use in the reception of the fish processing plant HG, carried out in October and November 2010. The main results are that it can reduce the operating costs of the sludge machine by 30 - 35% compared to the current sludge production at HG.

This project is a collaboration work between Hradfrystihusið Gunnvor (HG) and Matis. The project objective is to minimize the use of ice slush in fish processing and thereby energy usage which follows from producing the ice slush. The duration of this project is six months and is sponsored by the Icelandic AVS research fund. The project payoff are results from experiments with use of ice slush which was executed in HG accommodation in October and November 2010. The main conclusion from the experiments is that the ice slush production can be minimized up to 30 - 35% compared to the present ice slush production in HG.

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Reports

Increased value of seafood with an emphasis on products for use in fish meal and fish oil production to product development

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Magnús Valgeir Gíslason, Sigurjón Arason, Sindri Sigurðsson

Supported by:

Regional Development Institute, Development Division, Countervailing Grant of the Food Division of the East Iceland Interest Rate Agreement

Contact

Sigurjón Arason

Chief Engineer

sigurjon.arason@matis.is

Increased value of seafood with an emphasis on products for use in fish meal and fish oil production to product development

In 2008, gold nuggets were first caught in significant quantities, gold nuggets are very sensitive to salt uptake from fishing to processing. To reduce the salt content of the flour, broth from the processing was passed through a membrane filter set up by coarse centrifugation. This equipment was able to reduce the salt content from 11% to 4.5%. Membrane filtration equipment is expensive and has a high maintenance cost to run it in the process. Therefore, it was decided to change the procedure for fishing, storage and landing without changing the production process for flour processing, and this action has resulted in a reduction in the salt content of gold powder flour from 10 - 12 %, which is too high, down to 5 - 6 %.

Silvery lightfish was first caught 2008 near Iceland. Salt diffusion is a problem in silvery lightfish from catch to processing. To lower the salt content in fishmeal the stickwater was put through a membrane filter after coarse centrifuge, with this method the salt content was lowered from 11% down to 4,5%. The membrane filter system is expensive and maintenance cost is relatively high. These are the main reasons for changing procedure while catching, storing and landing without changing the fishmealprocess. This procedure has made salt content in silvery lightfish meal dropp from 10 - 12 % witch was to high down to 5 - 6 %.

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Reports

Small vessels - Optimizing catch value

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Jónas R. Viðarsson, Sveinn Margeirsson, Sigurjón Arason

Supported by:

AVS (project R 011‐09)

Contact

Jónas Rúnar Viðarsson

Director of Business and Development

jonas@matis.is

Small vessels - Optimizing catch value

The catch of small boats has the potential to be the best raw material available, as it is hardly possible to think of a fresher fish than the catch of day-trippers fishing on line or hand gear. Improper handling can, however, have the effect that small-boat fish do not live up to the expectations placed on them, which in turn means that it is not possible to process the catch into the most valuable products. Often, however, relatively small changes in working methods are required to ensure that the catch is under the brand name as a fish of maximum quality. This report discusses the issues that most affect the quality and shelf life of small boat fish, measures and comparisons are made of various influencing factors, reports on the preparation of guidance and incentive material published in connection with the project, and finally proposals are made for improvements in the value chain of small boat fish. The main emphasis in the project was on the preparation and distribution of teaching and instructional material for seafarers. A booklet and leaflets were published and distributed to all small boat fishermen in the country, and it is expected that the result will be reflected in increased knowledge of the importance of good handling of fish. Interested parties can contact Matís and receive the brochure by post, but it is also available on the company's website, ie. www.matis.is/media/matis/utgafa/Mikilvaegi‐godrar‐medhondlunar‐a‐fiski.pdf

The catch of small day ‐ boats using handline or longline has the potentials of being the best available raw material for the production of high value seafood. Improper handling has however often resulted in poor quality of this catch, which makes the products unsuitable for high ‐ end markets. Generally speaking there is however only need for relatively small adjustments in handling procedures in order to allow fish from small day ‐ boats to live up to its potentials as top quality seafood. In this report are discussed various quality issues related to small day ‐ boats. Measurements and comparisons are made between quality factors. Work related to writing, publishing and distribution of an educational brochure and other quality inducing material is accounted for. And finally there are brought forth suggestions on how to improve the value chain of catch from small day‐ boats. The main focus of this project was awarded to publishing practical and easy to understand educational material for fishermen. A brochure and a one ‐ pager were published and distributed to every small vessel in the Icelandic fleet. Hopefully, this educational material will be widely used amongst fishermen and contribute to improved knowledge on the importance of proper handling of seafood. The brochure is available at Matís and online at www.matis.is/media/matis/utgafa/Mikilvaegi‐godrar‐medhondlunar‐a‐fiski.pdf

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Reports

QALIBRA-Heilsuvogin. Fourth Annual Report

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Helga Gunnlaugsdottir, Nynke de Jong, Matthew Atkinson, Heleen van Dijk, Meike Wentholt, Lynn Frewer, Bjorn Thorgilsson, Heida Palmadottir, Andy Hart

Supported by:

EU, Matís

QALIBRA-Heilsuvogin. Fourth Annual Report

This report is the fourth and final annual report of the European project QALIBRA and covers the period 1.04. 2009 to 31.12. 2010. QALIBRA, or “Quality of Life - Integarted Benefit and Risk Analysis. Webbased tool for assessing food safety and health benefits, ”abbreviated QALIBRA (Heilsuvogin in Icelandic), is the name of a European project, which falls under Priority 5, Food Quality & Safety in the 6th EU Research Program. This is a three-year and 9-month project managed by Matís ohf. The project manager for the project as a whole is Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, department manager at Matís. The aim of the QALIBRA project is to develop quantitative methods to assess both the positive and negative effects of food ingredients on human health. These methods have been presented in a computer program that is open and accessible to all stakeholders on the website project http://www.qalibra.eu. The methods developed test two types of food, ie fish and target foods. Participants in the project are from Iceland, the UK, the Netherlands, Greece; Portugal and Hungary.

This is the fourth and last annual report from the “QALIBRA - Quality of life - integrated benefit and risk analysis. Web - based tool for assessing food safety and health benefits ”project funded by the EC's Sixth Framework Program, Priority 5, Food Quality & Safety. It began in April 2006 and ended December 2009. To assess the balance between the risks and benefits associated with a particular food, they must be converted into a common measure of net health impact. Uncertainties affecting the risks and benefits cause uncertainty about the magnitude and even the direction of the net health impact. QALIBRA has developed methods that can take into account multiple risks, benefits and uncertainties and implemented them in a web ‐ based software for assessing and communicating net health impacts. The methods and software developed by QALIBRA were used to carry out detailed case studies on the benefits and risks of oily fish and functional foods. The software developed in the project to assess and integrate beneficial and adverse effects of foods is available at the website of the project http://www.qalibra.eu. Participants in the project: Matís, Iceland, coordinator, The Food and Environment Research Agency United Kingdom, National Institute of Public Health and The Environment, The Netherlands, Wageningen University, The Netherlands, University of Patras, Greece, Altagra Business Service.

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Reports

Review of evidence for the beneficial effect of fish consumption / Overview article on the positive effects of fish consumption

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Björn Þorgilsson, Maria Leonor Nunes, Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir

Supported by:

EU, Matís

Review of evidence for the beneficial effect of fish consumption / Overview article on the positive effects of fish consumption

This report provides an overview of the main ingredients in fish that are thought to have a beneficial effect on human health. A number of health factors that have been linked to the positive effects of fish consumption were examined and evaluated. The greatest emphasis was placed on examining and evaluating the ingredients in fish that are present in relatively high concentrations and therefore likely to affect health, such as long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and vitamin D. Emphasis was placed on reviewing and evaluating information on the positive effects of fish ingredients on human health in recent meta-analyzes, review articles and expert opinions. The report was part of the European project QALIBRA or “Quality of Life - Integrated Benefit and Risk Analysis. Webbased tool for assessing food safety and health benefits ”or QALIBRA ‐Heilsuvogin in Icelandic.

The aim of this review is to facilitate policy makers, nutritionists and other interested parties of Western societies in judging claims regarding the health benefits of fish consumption. This review focuses on the main constituents in fish that have been associated with health benefits of fish consumption. A variety of human health endpoints that may be positively influenced by fish constituents are considered and evaluated. Most attention is given to the constituents in fish that are present at relatively high levels in fish and thus are likely to influence human health. These include omega ‐ 3 fatty acids (omega ‐ 3 FAs), selenium, and vitamin D. The scope of this review is broad rather than detailed concentrating on collation and evaluation of existing information about human benefits of fish consumption from meta ‐ analysis studies, reviews and expert opinions. This report was part of the work performed in the EU 6th Framework project “QALIBRA - Quality of life - integrated benefit and risk analysis. Web - based tool for assessing food safety and health benefits ”.

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Reports

QALIBRA Final activity report / Final Report QALIBRA

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, Andy Hart, Anna Kristín Daníelsdottir

Supported by:

EU, Matís

QALIBRA Final activity report / Final Report QALIBRA

This report is the final report of the European project QALIBRA or “Quality of Life - Integrated Benefit and Risk Analysis. Webbased tool for assessing food safety and health benefits ”or QALIBRA - Heilsuvogin in Icelandic. Matís ohf managed the project, which was partly funded by the European Union, with a total of seven participants from six countries. The project began on April 1, 2006 and formally ended on December 31, 2009, but the final completion lasted until 2010. This report describes the main results, benefits and results of the project. The aim of the QALIBRA project was to develop quantitative methods to assess both the positive and negative effects of food ingredients on human health. When we eat food, we get both negative and positive elements in the body and until now, food risk assessment has been limited to examining the effects of individual substances on living beings (eg experimental animals). The QALIBRA project developed methods that take into account both the negative and positive aspects of food consumption and evaluate the overall impact of the risks and benefits on human health as well as the uncertainty of the assessment. These methods have been presented in a computer program that is open and accessible to all stakeholders free of charge on the project's website http://www.qalibra.eu. The methods were tested on two types of food, ie fish and target foods.

This is the final report to the commission from the “QALIBRA - Quality of life - integrated benefit and risk analysis. Web - based tool for assessing food safety and health benefits ”project. QALIBRA was an EU 6th Framework project with seven partners, conducted between 1st April 2006 and 31st December 2009, although the finalization of project was accomplished in year 2010. In this report the objectives, main work performed and achievements of the project to the state‐ of ‐ the ‐ art are summarized. To assess the balance between the risks and benefits associated with a particular food, they must be converted into a common measure of net health impact. Uncertainties affecting the risks and benefits cause uncertainty about the magnitude and even the direction of the net health impact. QALIBRA has developed methods that can take into account multiple risks, benefits and uncertainties and implemented them in a web ‐ based software for assessing and communicating net health impacts. The methods and software developed by QALIBRA were used to carry out detailed case studies on the benefits and risks of oily fish and functional foods. The software developed (QALIBRA tool) in the project to assess and integrate beneficial and adverse effects of foods is freely available on the website of the project http://www.qalibra.eu.

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Reports

Affinity of benthic communities in Ísafjarðardjúpur

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Þorleifur Eiríksson, Ólafur Ögmundarson, Guðmundur V. Helgason, Böðvar Þórisson

Supported by:

Fisheries Project Fund

Affinity of benthic communities in Ísafjarðardjúpur

Knowledge of benthic life in the shallow waters off Iceland is low, both in terms of natural conditions and under stress from, for example, aquaculture. There is also a lack of knowledge about how benthic communities react to stress from aquaculture, but one study has tried to answer this regarding low stress. In order to understand which benthic community types exist under natural conditions and which are present in the case of pollution from pollution, the relationship between benthic life inside and outside the area must be examined. In this way, it is possible to understand which animal groups are predominant in similar situations. This study uses data on benthic life in Ísafjarðardjúpur, which is mostly due to fish farming in the fjords. A benthic study is also being carried out in fjords that may be suitable for aquaculture, but are still only under pressure from natural conditions. The project is part of a larger project "Icelandic fjords: The natural ecosystem of Ísfjarðardjúp and the limits of pollution" and is funded by the Fisheries Project Fund.

Knowledge about the benthic live in shallow waters around Iceland is poor, both regarding natural circumstances and when there is pressure from aquaculture. Knowledge is also poor about how benthic communities respond to pollution from aquaculture. This study shows the relationships between research stations with regards to kinship between found indicative species.

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Reports

Optimized Chilling Protocols for Fresh Fish

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Björn Margeirsson, Hélène L. Lauzon, Lárus Þorvaldsson, Sveinn Víkingur Árnason, Sigurjón Arason, Kristín Líf Valtýsdóttir, Emilía Martinsdóttir

Supported by:

AVS R&D Fund of Ministry of Fisheries in Iceland, the Technology Development Fund at the Icelandic Center for Research, University of Iceland Research Fund and EU (contract FP6-016333-2)

Contact

Sigurjón Arason

Chief Engineer

sigurjon.arason@matis.is

Optimized Chilling Protocols for Fresh Fish

Guidelines for cooling fresh fish describe the most effective cooling methods at all stages of the cooling chain, with an emphasis on white fish. It describes how to best cool and maintain temperatures in order to maximize product quality and safety and reduce costs and energy consumption. The report contains background information for instructions in the information source Kæligátt on Matís' website, which is presented in a user-friendly way in Icelandic www.kaeligatt.is and English www.chillfish.net. The guidelines are intended for fishermen, manufacturers, carriers and other members of the value chain. The guidelines are based on research that has been carried out within research projects such as Chill ‐ on, Simulation of cooling processes and Cooling improvement. The main chapters deal with refrigeration on board, during processing, during packing, transport and storage of fish.

The overall aim of the optimized chilling protocols is to describe the most effective chilling methods for any stage in the food supply chain with emphasis on whitefish. This comprises optimization of the whole chain for lowering and maintaining low temperature with the aim of maximizing quality and safety of the products and minimizing costs and energy use. This report is the background for the protocols and guidelines published with open access at Matís website in Icelandic and English in a user ‐ friendly way: www.chillfish.net. These are protocols to follow aimed at the use of fishermen, manufacturers, transporters and other stakeholders in the fisheries chain. The information is divided into subchapters of different links in the chain. How to chill fish on ‐ board, during processing, packaging, transport and storage are the main chapters.

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Reports

Guidelines for precooling of fresh fish during processing and choice of packaging with respect to temperature control in cold chains

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Kristín Líf Valtýsdóttir, Björn Margeirsson, Sigurjón Arason, Hélène L. Lauzon, Emilía Martinsdóttir

Supported by:

AVS Fund of Ministry of Fisheries in Iceland (R-037 08), Technology Development Fund at the Icelandic Center for Research (081304508), University of Iceland Research Fund and EU (contract FP6-016333-2)

Contact

Sigurjón Arason

Chief Engineer

sigurjon.arason@matis.is

Guidelines for precooling of fresh fish during processing and choice of packaging with respect to temperature control in cold chains

The purpose of the guidelines is to assist in the choice between different methods of pre-cooling fresh fish products as well as to assist in the selection of packages with regard to the heat load that the product experiences on its way from producer to buyer. The following pre-cooling methods are discussed: liquid cooling, sludge cooling and skin cooling (CBC, touch and blow cooling). The treatment of products during processing and the effect of different refrigerants on temperature control, quality and shelf life of fillets before packaging the product are also discussed. The guidelines take into account the processing of lean whitefish, such as cod and haddock. The results of research show that a well-designed pre-cooling before packing can result in a shelf life of 3 - 5 days longer due to no pre-cooling before packing. Inadequate fluid exchange during hydraulic cooling with associated cross-contamination can, however, negate the positive effect of pre-cooling. Icelandic fresh fish producers mainly use expanded polystyrene (EPS) and corrugated plastic (CP) boxes for the export of fresh fillets and fillet pieces. Therefore, only the aforementioned packaging types are discussed here. The conclusion is that if the temperature control is inadequate and the temperature fluctuations are high, it is desirable to use foam plastic boxes that provide better thermal insulation than corrugated plastic boxes.

The aim of the guidelines is to provide and assist with choice of different precooling techniques for fresh fish fillets as well as assist with choice of packaging with respect to thermal abuse, which the product experiences during transport and storage from processor to customer. The following precooling techniques are discussed; liquid cooling (LC), slurry ice cooling (SIC) and combined blast and contact cooling (CBCC). In addition, the following is discussed; handling during processing and the effect of applying different cooling media before packaging on temperature control, quality and shelf life of fresh fillets. The guidelines are designed with lean white fish muscle in mind, such as cod and haddock. The results reveal that efficient precooling before packaging can prolong shelf life up to 3 to 5 days compared to no precooling before packaging. If the liquid exchange in the liquid cooler's circulation system is insufficient, cross-contamination can diminish the positive effects of precooling. Icelandic fresh fish processors mainly use expanded polystyrene (EPS) and corrugated plastic (CP) boxes for export of fresh fish fillets. The guidelines are therefore only focused on the above-mentioned packaging types. The conclusion is that if temperature control is unsatisfactory and temperature fluctuations are great, then expanded polystyrene boxes are the preferred alternative because they provide better insulation.

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Reports

North Cage 2

Published:

01/12/2010

Authors:

Ólafur Ögmundarson, Róbert Hafsteinsson, Þorleifur Eiríksson, Böðvar Þórisson, Kristján G. Jóakimsson, Egil Lien, Jón Árnason

Supported by:

AVS and the Technology Development Fund

North Cage 2

The Norðurkví project was set up to:

  • Design a technical solution for a fish farm to enable farmers to sink it and lift it in Icelandic conditions.
  • Maximize the usefulness of submersible pens with regard to working conditions.
  • In addition, find a new solution for handling net bags in aquaculture to repel baits.

The focus of this part of the project, called Norðurkví 2, is to design a technical solution for a fish farm that can be sunk and lifted again to prevent damage due to drift. In addition, several new types of treatments on net bags were tested to see which of the tested treatments worked best.

North Cage was established to:

  • Develop sea cage technique to sink cages fit for Icelandic conditions.
  • Optimize functionality of sinkable sea cages considering working conditions.
  • In addition different types of netting and impregnation were tested in order to minimize the necessity of frequent change of nets in the cages.

This part, North Cage 2 of the North cage project is concentrated on the development of a cage that can be temporarily submerged and re ‐ lifted to the surface to avoid the damage on the installation during the occurrence of drifting ice. In addition different types of netting and impregnation were tested in order to minimize the necessity of frequent change of nets in the cages.

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