Share:
Preserving is a process or method that delays decomposition and ageing. Even today we still use a number of traditional preservation methods that have been in use for many generations and are now part of Norway's food culture. Salted and dried foods for example represent a sizeable industry in Norway.
Food products and ready meals with a high degree of freshness are an increasing trend among today's more aware consumers. Foods should also be easy to handle and have a high nutritional content. Such products are developed with a suitable packaging system and a combination of several mild preservation factors.
Copyright: Nofima
Morten Sivertsvik
Forskningsleder
Phone: +4751844637
Cellphone: +47 905 97 998
A number of seafood products being developed are preserved with a combination of several inhibiting factors. Such factors include chilling, super-chilling, salt, acid (pH) and preserving agents. Examples of products include prawns in brine, roe products, fish pastes, pickled herring and various spiced and salted products.
To maintain quality and shelf life, cook-chill and fresh products are often packed in a protective atmosphere (MAP) before refrigeration (<4°C) and distribution. The products can then achieve a shelf life of up to a couple of weeks.
The production of ready to cook, brined or marinated fish products has many purposes: reducing fluid loss, promoting desired taste, smell and appearance, stabilising texture, being an antioxidant and inhibiting or reducing the growth of undesirable micro-organisms.
Even raw materials of outstanding quality can suffer serious defects, such as discolouration, after smoking.
Most of the salmon produced by Norwegian fish farmers is used as raw material for the smoked salmon industry. In the absence of sufficient knowledge about the salmon's raw material properties for industrial processing, systematic research has been begun into understanding and controlling the smoking process to achieve the desired quality.
Temperature is the most important factor in the storage of fresh fish. Without control of the chill temperature, fresh fish can spoil very quickly. For example, if the temperature is raised from zero to 4 degrees, shelf life is halved, and if the temperature goes up to 10, then shelf life is halved again. This means that temperature control is more important than packing method.
