Identify optimal handling and storage conditions for raw material in order to minimise the stockfish quality error mucoso.
Project summary: The stockfish quality error called mucoso has the last 4 years entailed an annual economical loss for the stockfish industry of 45-60 million NOK. Mucoso has in this period resulted in a 30 - 40 % reduction in the prima quality quanta.
Mucoso can be described as dissolved fish muscle with a slimy consistency. This entails a large loss for the industry that soaks the stockfish because the fish meat containing mucoso must be discarded during soaking.
The causes of mucoso are not revealed, but an important factor is obviously the climate while the stockfish is being dried. In addition, preliminary trials have shown that the way raw material is handled and stored before drying also can significantly affect the amount of mucoso in the final stockfish product.
In this project the main aim is to reduce the quality error mucoso. This will be done by focusing on 2 activities:
Activity 1: Reveal the processes degrading fish muscle and thereby causing mucoso.
Activity 2: Investigate which process factors that affect mucoso development. This will be done by carrying out production trails in the industry. Various catch and processing parameters will be studied in order to reveal releasing factors for mucoso development.
