Matís and MPF Inc. recently signed a co-operation agreement between the companies. The agreement includes the companies collaborating on joint research into the development of surimi from underutilized species such as blue whiting and capelin. An article about this is published in Fréttablaðið and can be found here.
Surimi is a fish protein mass that has been made from fish by various methods, and is a very popular product these days. Surimi is used in various products, such as crabmeat, which is widely used in sushi. The market for surimi products has grown very rapidly recently and it is estimated that demand this year is around 600 thousand tonnes, while world production is only around 480 thousand tonnes. In light of these circumstances, the price of surimi has doubled in one year. Matís and MPF see great opportunities for surimi production in Iceland, especially from species that are underused for human consumption.
However, many obstacles need to be overcome to produce quality surimi from species such as blue whiting and capelin. The co-operation agreement includes joint research that addresses these barriers, such as processing methods to reduce development problems in the final product as well as maximizing the gelation properties of the product. Matís has many years of experience in handling and processing seafood, which is very useful in this project, while MPF has extensive experience in the development and industrial production of protein products from various fish species. It is the hope of both companies that profitable surimi processing will rise in Iceland within a few years.
„The utilization of underutilized species in profitable products, such as surimi, is very important for the Icelandic fishing industry. In view of the great shortage of these products, the market is very open for the use of new species in surimi. We now need to put a lot of work into innovation in the Icelandic fisheries sector and get more for our good raw materials. This agreement is going to make a big contribution here "Says Dr. Hörður G. Kristinsson, department manager at Matís
For further information, please contact: Hörður by phone 422-5063 / 858-5063.