Tag: Packing

Reports

Challenges in packing vegetables 

Published:

16/02/2023

Authors:

Ólafur Reykdal, Margeir Gissurarson, Sophie Jensen, Jónas Baldursson, Valur N. Gunnlaugsson

Supported by:

Matvælasjóður / Icelandic Food Innovation Fund

Contact

Ólafur Reykdal

Project Manager

olafur.reykdal@matis.is

The project Challenges in packing vegetables was funded by the Swedish Food Fund in 2021. The aim of the project was to provide an overview of options for packaging vegetables and point out upcoming new packaging materials that can replace plastic. Furthermore, the project was intended to provide an overview of the impact of packaging on the environment and people's health, and to investigate the shelf life and quality of vegetables for different packaging under Icelandic conditions.

The project's contribution will be to make the latest knowledge on vegetable packaging available to interested parties in Iceland. The project has built up knowledge that will be shared with the vegetable sector. It will be possible to make decisions about the best solutions based on product quality and environmental protection. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Department of Horticultural Farmers at the Farmers' Association of Iceland and the Gardeners' Sales Association. Part of the project was work on the assessment of the carbon footprint of several horticultural farms, but the results are presented in another forum. Although this report focuses specifically on vegetables, the topics have general appeal and those planning to package other types of food should benefit from the report. It is hoped that the project will lead to progress in food packaging and pave the way for new types of packaging materials.

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Reports

Analysis of damage to fresh fish products / Comparison of transport and packaging methods for fresh fish products - storage life study

Published:

13/07/2016

Authors:

Magnea G. Karlsdóttir, Gunnar Þórðarson, Ásgeir Jónsson, Hrund Ólafsdóttir, Sigurjón Arason, Björn Margeirsson, Aðalheiður Ólafsdóttir

Supported by:

AVS Fisheries Research Fund (R 034‐14)

Contact

Gunnar Þórðarson

Regional Manager

gunnar.thordarson@matis.is

Analysis of spoilage processes during fresh fish transport / Comparison of transport and packaging methods for fresh fish products – storage life study

The aim of the project "Best fresh fish transport" was to improve the handling of fresh fish products in container transport and thereby increase their shelf life and the possibility of further transport by sea from Iceland, but there are significant savings compared to transport by air. This report deals with the analysis of the damage processes that take place during the storage and transport of fresh fish products. A comparison was made of transport in foam plastic boxes and in ice scrapers in pots at different temperatures. Different embodiments of both packaging solutions were compared and assessment factors included temperature, total number of microorganisms, amount of damaged microorganisms, water resistance, amount of erratic base and sensory assessment properties. In general, there was relatively little difference between experimental groups during storage. Differences were found between groups in individual sensory evaluation factors, but this difference was not comparable between days and is therefore probably due to the interaction between heterogeneous raw material and too few evaluated samples. The freshness time of all groups was seven to eight days and the shelf life was about 10 days. The packaging solutions studied in the experiment, as well as the storage temperature, had little effect on the spoilage processes of the cod products. The variability was primarily due to the storage time.

The aim of the project "Optimisation of fresh fish transport" was to improve the handling of fresh fish products during sea freight and increase the shelf life and the possibility of further maritime transport from Iceland, involving significant savings relative to the air freight. The present report covers analysis of the deterioration processes occurring during storage and transportation of fresh whitefish products. Comparison was made between transportation in expanded polystyrene boxes and in slurry ice in tubs at different ambient temperatures. Different versions of both packaging solutions were compared with regard to temperature, total viable count, amount of spoilage bacteria, water holding capacity, total volatile nitrogen bases (TVB‐N) and sensory properties. There were in general relatively small differences between experimental groups during the storage period. Some difference was observed between groups with regard to few sensory attributes, but the difference was not comparable between days which was likely due to heterogeneous material and too small sampling size. The freshness period of all experimental groups was seven to eight days and the shelf life around 10 days. The packaging solutions explored in the present study, as well as storage temperature, had generally little effect on the deterioration processes occurring in the fresh cod product. The observed variation was primarily attributed to the storage time.

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Reports

Comparison of packaging methods for bulk storage of fresh cod loins / Comparison of packaging solutions in foam packaging for storage of cod products

Published:

01/08/2013

Authors:

Hélène L. Lauzon, Aðalheiður Ólafsdóttir, Eyjólfur Reynisson, Björn Margeirsson

Supported by:

Promens Tempra ehf, Umbúðir og ráðgjöf ehf

Contact

Aðalheiður Ólafsdóttir

Sensory evaluation manager

adalheiduro@matis.is

Comparison of packaging methods for bulk storage of fresh cod loins / Comparison of packaging solutions in foam packaging for storage of cod products

The main objective of the experiment was to compare packaging solutions for fish in terms of quality deterioration and product temperature during storage, which is similar to the conditions for export and distribution. The objectives were to compare cold storage of products packed (1) in 5-kg units in (H1) ship or (H2) air boxes; (2) in 3 ‐ kg units in (H3) airbags compared to H2; (3) with CO2 mats (H4) to reduce microbial growth in 5 kg units stored under 93% vacuum in EPS boxes. The results show that the lifespan of H1 was shorter, but there were smaller quality changes among the other groups. However, the freshness was longest and the lifespan of H4, which compares with slower TVB-N and TMA formation and microbial growth due to CO2 formation as well as lower product temperature. The fastest microbial growth was measured in H3 after 8 days of storage. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of TVB-N and TMA values, which were highest in H1 and H3. Drip was at least half as high in H4 as in other groups.

The overall aim of the storage study was to compare the quality deterioration and temperature profile of cod loins differently packaged in expanded polystyrene boxes and stored under conditions mimicking distribution. The purpose of the study was threefold; to compare chilled storage (1) or 5 ‐ kg bulk fish packaged in sea freight (H1) or air freight (H2) boxes; (2) of 3 ‐ kg (H3) or 5 ‐ kg (H2) bulk fish packaged in air freight boxes; (3) with the use of CO2 ‐ emitting pads (H4) as a mean to slow down bacterial deterioration of cod loins (5 kg) packaged under partial vacuum and stored in EPS boxes. The results clearly indicated that group H1 had a shorter shelf life as it developed spoilage characteristics faster than the other three groups. Less difference was seen between the remaining three groups but group H4 retained its freshness slightly longer than groups H2 and H3. This can be explained by the CO2 present and the lower mean product temperature. More advanced microbial spoilage was detected in H3 group compared to H2, as shown by higher microbial counts in H3 being though insignificant. No significant differences were observed after 8 ‐ day storage in TVB ‐ N and TMA content of the four groups, despite the higher levels measured in H1 and H3. Drip loss was at least two times higher in H4 than the other groups.

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Reports

Overview on fish quality research - Impact of fish handling, processing, storage and logistics on fish quality deterioration

Published:

01/11/2010

Authors:

Hélène L. Lauzon, Björn Margeirsson, Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, María Guðjónsdóttir, Magnea G. Karlsdóttir, Emilia Martinsdóttir

Supported by:

AVS R&D Fund of Ministry of Fisheries in Iceland, Technology Development Fund and EU IP Chill-on (contract FP6-016333-2)

Contact

Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir

Project Manager

kolbrun.sveinsdottir@matis.is

Overview on fish quality research - Impact of fish handling, processing, storage and logistics on fish quality deterioration

The short shelf life of fish is a limiting factor in the export of fresh fish products from Iceland. The initial quality of raw materials, methods of cooling, processing, packaging and conditions during storage and transport are discussed, as well as the effects of all these factors on the freshness and shelf life of fish products. Temperature control is very important to maintain the quality of the fish. Pre-processed fillets have been used to lower the pre-packing temperature. However, care must be taken that the pre-cooling technology does not endanger the microbial condition of the product and thus causes it to be damaged earlier after packaging. The synergistic effects of supercooling and aerated packaging (MAP) can significantly extend the freshness period and shelf life of fish products. Furthermore, packaging methods are examined, including new, more environmentally friendly packaging. Finally, the effect of transport routes of fresh fish products on their final quality to consumers in the market is discussed. This report provides an overview of the research of the Fisheries Research Institute and Matís ohf over the past three decades on the subject. Furthermore, it is discussed how these results can benefit the fishing industry.

The limited shelf life of fresh fish products is a large hurdle for the export of fresh products from Iceland. The influence of raw material quality, cooling methods, processing, packaging and storage conditions on freshness and shelf life extension is discussed. Temperature control is important to maintain fish quality. Pre-cooling of fillets in process has been used to lower the temperature prior to packaging. However, the cooling technique applied should not compromise the microbiological quality of the product and render it vulnerable to faster spoilage postpackaging. Synergism of combined superchilling and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) can lead to a considerable extension of the freshness period and shelf life of fish products. Further, alternative and environmentally-friendly packaging methods are considered. Finally, the impact of transportation mode of fresh fish products on their resulting quality is examined. This report provides an overview of the findings on fish research carried out at Matís (Icelandic Fisheries Laboratories) over the last three decades and further discusses their practicality for the fish processing industry.

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Reports

Automation in salted fish processing

Published:

01/06/2008

Authors:

Róbert Hafsteinsson, Albert Högnasson, Sigurjón Arasson

Supported by:

Rannís Technology Development Fund

Contact

Sigurjón Arason

Chief Engineer

sigurjon.arason@matis.is

Automation in salted fish processing

This project is a development project between Matís ohf, Vísir hf and 3X Technology where the main goal was to develop equipment and processing systems to simplify the management and control of the processing process of salted fish, thereby ensuring better and more stable quality. The project investigated, among other things, how the equipment affects product quality, emissions, etc. Work efficiency and productivity as well as human savings were examined in particular by comparing Vísir hf's older facilities with the current ones. 3X Technology took care of the design and development of the equipment, Vísir hf provided processing and knowledge as well as putting most of the equipment into use. Matís was responsible for conducting experiments as well as evaluating the quality aspects of the project. The project was intended to address the main aspects of salted fish processing:

• Automatic sorting of fillets coming from a sprayer and into a basket.

• Salting of fillets and flat fish, ie. from brine to dry salting.

Desalination before packing and quality assessment

• Pre-analysis for quality assessment, sorting and packaging (approach of robots).

The main results of the project are that the capacity of Vísir hf in Grindavík and Djúpivogur has increased considerably with the introduction of the equipment from 3X Technology, or up to 20%.

This project is a developmental project between Matís ohf, Vísir hf and 3X Technology where the main objective is to develop an equipment and process plant to simplify the controlling process of salted fish and thereby ensuring continuous and better product quality. In this project, following things where mainly investigated: The influence from the equipment on the product quality. Working economy along with labor saving was specially investigated by comparing the “old” working arrangement with the new one. The company 3X Technology was responsible for the design and the development of the equipment. The salt fish company Vísir hf introduces the new equipment to their process plant along with providing knowledge about the product characteristic. The company Matís ohf took care of all the quality control along with performing all the experiment of this project.

This project is intended to take care of the following main parts in the salt fish processing plant:

• Automatic arranging of fish fillet coming from the injection machine and into the tub box.

• Dry salting fish fillet, ie from the brine storage into dry salt.

• Salting before weighing and wrapping the fish fillet along with quality control.

• Analysis and approach of robots for packing and grading the product.

The main conclusion for this project is that Vísir hf in Grindavík and Djúpavogur has increased their throughput for at approximately 20% by introducing their new equipment from 3X Technology.

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