Contact
Sigurjón Arason
Chief Engineer
sigurjon.arason@matis.is
AVS recently completed the project "Maximizing the quality of frozen redfish products", which was a joint project of HB Grandi / Brim, Matís and the University of Iceland. The project investigated the effect of cold storage on the quality of dipped products, as well as the effect of the age of the raw material and the season on the quality.
The aim of the project was twofold. First, to study the effect of time and temperature during storage in frost, on the formation of decomposers in baskets. This was done by comparing the effects of temperature changes and handling in the cold store during transport and the effect on the physical and chemical properties as well as the stability of the fat in the basket. Second, to study the effect of the age of the raw material on the quality and stability of storage, i.e. the difference between redfish products processed four and nine days after fishing was examined; as well as whether there was a difference in the time of year the redfish was caught.
The results of the project showed that storage temperature and time affect the physical and chemical properties of redfish, ie. on free fatty acids, TBARS and TVB-N. Seasonal differences also affected the nutritional value and stability of redfish. The light muscle in redfish caught in November contained higher amounts of EPA and DHA than redfish caught in June. Redfish caught in November was not as stable in cold storage, as it contained a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. The light muscle contained higher nutritional value than the dark muscle, leading to a better source of nutrition for public consumption. The dark muscle, however, was sensitive to fat oxidation, which could have a negative effect on the pale muscle. Then even the dark and light muscle need to be separated.
The final report of the project can be accessed here.
For more information Sigurjón Arason.