Wednesday, August 17, 2011, at 15:30 Mon. Kristín Líf Valtýsdóttir hold a master's lecture at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science (IVT) at the University of Iceland on their project. The master's lecture will be held in Matís' presentation in room 312
Supervisors: Sigurjón Arason, Halldór Pálsson and Björn Margeirsson
Examiner: Gunnar stefánsson
Abstract
The aim of this project was to investigate the effects of different pre-cooling methods and the redesign of packaging on the temperature control of fresh fish products. Inadequate temperature control in the cooling chain of fresh fish products from producer to buyer has a negative effect on the quality of the products and it is therefore preferable to pre-cool fish products quickly and safely down to the storage temperature before packaging. Thermal insulation of packaging limits heat transfer from the environment to the product. Heat distribution in fish was mapped for different pre-cooling methods and heat transfer models were used to redesign foam plastic packaging (EPS). The results of pre-cooling experiments were temperature profiles that serve as guidelines for successful pre-cooling. Thermal insulation of packages was improved by increasing the radius of curvature and thereby thickening the corners. Thus, the original EPS box was improved with the help of computerized heat transfer models. Experiments with fresh fish with prototypes and later the new redesigned box showed improved thermal insulation. The end result is that by pre-cooling the product down to the storage temperature and by using improved packaging, the quality and value of fish products can be significantly increased.
Further information is provided by Kristín Líf Valtýsdóttir. kristinlif@matis.is