Frontiers in Marine Science (Jun 2014)
Project INOVEMAR: Innovation in Sea Produce Processment
Abstract
In Northwestern Portugal there is a large number of small fishing communities facing problems well characterized by several studies conducted in the region and in similar areas in other parts of the world. These problems undermine the social and economic fabric of these communities. At the economic level, the following issues can be pointed out: - Difficulties in the products' flow, mainly the ones with lower commercial value; - High production operational costs; - Difficulties managing the value chain of fishery products, mainly in what concerns trading; - Low ability in the management of innovation in the fish value chain; - Difficulty in establishing long lasting relationships with all intervenients in the value chain. In view of this reality, Project INOVEMAR was created by the food engineering group of the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, in co-operation with the Social Services of the same institute, and Docapesca, the national fish auction managers. The objective of the project is to improve the utilization of fish species with less commercial value and create new alternatives to produce flow. These processes include: • a betterment of typical products and processes, such as canned products and patés; • the evaluation of the success in the introduction of foreign produce, such as smoked and marinated fish; • the development of new processes and products based on low commercial valued species; • the production of ready-to-eat fish meals preserved in cold storage and modified atmospheres. Following information conveyed by Docapesca, the less valued species captured in the region are different mackerel species, Atlantic horse mackerel, pout, octopus and mullet. Mackerel and Atlantic horse mackerel, due to their high subcutaneous fat were used for smoking and for the production of canned smoked fillets and patés, with different sauces.The smoking process included: washing fresh fish, 30 minutes immersion in a 80º brine, followed by dripping and drying for 48h. Smoking was carried out at 70ºC during 3h, with a final stage at 90ºC. Several paté formulations were developed with mackerel and atlantic horse mackerel, with different types and quantities of ingredients and flavourings to obtain different products. Special attention was paid to the amounts of thickeners and emulsifiers to attain a pleasant spread ability. All preparations were sterilized for 15 minutes at 121ºC. A sensory panel with 10 judges and a consumer panel with 59 consumers were used to test the developed products. The 59 consumers (17-25 years of age) classified smoked products as moderately pleasant. 82% of the consumers tested expressed willingness to purchase the product. In what concerns patés, sensory judges as well as consumers rated the majority of products as very good in the several parameters under evaluation, indication that there is a great potential for these type of commodities. Several fish species are being studied for pre-cooking conservation. In all the cases studied, typical Portuguese cuisine is being used, followed by rapid chilling and packing with modified atmospheres. Preparations, preservation and subsequent consumption are being carried out at the school's canteen. The results obtained until now show that low commercial valued species can be used with success, providing some culinary expertise is added. This is a very important aspect since, transferring this technology to industry, may lead to the development of new products and help an easy flow of these products into the market. Consequently, fishing communities will be able to sell all their produce, reducing waste, and increasing their economic situation.
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