The project "Treatment of the root of the problem" has now been completed, the aim of which was to confirm the use properties of chitosan treatment of seafood to increase quality and shelf life. Chitosan is a large molecule made from chitin, which is the basic substance in the shells of insects and shellfish in the sea.
The company Primex ehf. chitosan is processed from shrimp shells in Siglufjörður and worked on the project together with Matís, Fjarðalaxi and Frame.
The possibilities of use of chitosan are great and it has been mostly used as a fat binder in the gastrointestinal tract and in the development of wound care products. Yet another feature of this is the inhibitory effect on bacterial growth which is useful in maintaining food quality. It is particularly suitable for marine products as they are generally sensitive products with a short shelf life where spoilage bacteria thrive well.
The project therefore developed a method for treating seafood with chitosan and tested different mixtures of the substance. Three different seafood products were selected for testing; shrimp, salmon and cod. The results showed that certain mixtures of chitosan slow down the spoilage process, especially in whole fish. It is important that treatment is carried out immediately after fishing or slaughter in order to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment and that ideal conditions exist for the storage of fish products.
The members of the project would like to thank AVS for their support.
Further information is provided by dr. Eyjólfur Reynisson at Matís.