Contact
Guðjón Þorkelsson
Strategic Scientist
gudjon.thorkelsson@matis.is
Dried fish as health food
One of the main goals of the project was to obtain basic information about the properties of Icelandic dried fish and that the information would be open and thus for the benefit of all dried fish producers in Iceland. The main conclusion of the project is that dried fish is a very rich protein source with 80-85% protein content. The amino acids were measured and compared with amino acids in eggs. The result is that dried fish proteins are of high quality. These results support the marketing of dried fish as both a healthy food and a national food. It is important to look at the salt content in dried fish better and try to reduce it to increase the health of dried fish, especially in hot-dried dried fish, as it was much higher than in other dried fish. Measurements of trace elements showed that their amount in dried fish is well within limits compared to the recommended daily allowance (RDS) except in selenium. Its amount in 100 g is three times the recommended daily dose. However, it is not considered harmful in any way.
The main object of this project was to provide information of the quality in Icelandic dried fish to be of benefit for all producers in Iceland. The main results showed that dried fish was a very rich source of proteins, containing 80-85% protein. Amino acids were measured and compared to the amino acids in eggs. It was concluded that the proteins in the dried fish were of high quality. This supports the marketing of dried fish in the health foods and traditional food markets. It is important to better analyze the salt content in dried fish and reduce it to improve balanced diet in dried fish, especially for indoor produced dried fish, which salt content is rather high. The trace elements in dried fish showed minimal content, except for selen where the content was threefold the recommended daily allowance (RDA). This is not hazardous for people in any way.