Contact
Guðmundur Stefánsson
Director of Research Groups
gudmundur.stefansson@matis.is
Matís is completing work on a Nordic project funded by Nordic Marine Innovation 2.0, which is examining whether filleting mackerel is a viable option.
Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) is an important fish for the Nordic countries. In 2016, Norway and the Faroe Islands caught 475 thousand tonnes of mackerel, which is 41% of the total catch in the world (FAO, 2018). The majority of the mackerel caught is frozen whole or decapitated and gutted. Less than 1% of the catch is filleted fresh. However, there is a greater demand for fillets and part of the mackerel is therefore frozen whole, transported between countries, thawed and hand-filleted. This is due to the fragility of the mackerel raw material, which is considered to be the best way to ensure the quality of the fillets.
By finding ways to ensure quality after machine filleting, costs and energy are saved during, among other things, freezing and transport, as well as it will be possible to use the side ingredients of filleting for other types of domestic processing.
The project included the effects of seasons, fishing methods, pre-treatment, etc. factors on the quality of fillets after machine filleting studied. Particular attention was paid to the appearance of fillets and the amount of blood stains and looseness in them were assessed. Subsequently, experiments were performed to assess the effect of the fillet on the shelf life. Emphasis was placed on trying to ensure a shelf life of at least 12 months in the event of frost. Also look at how they are suitable for further processing, such as smoking.
Partners in the project were Pelagia (Norway), Síldarvinnslan (Iceland), Gjögur (Iceland), Vardin Pelagic (Faroe Islands), VMK Arenco (Sweden), Matís (Iceland), Nofima (Norway), Aarhus University (Denmark) and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.
Research on mackerel filleting and the quality of fillets will be continued in collaboration between domestic fisheries companies, Matís and the University of Iceland, but these research is funded by the AVS Fisheries Research Fund and Technology Development Fund.