Grieg Seafood recently signed a contract with Skaginn 3X for Sub-Chilling™ system and becomes the first Norwegian salmon producer to provide SUB-CHILLING™ salmon. A similar system was installed for Arnarlax in Iceland in 2015, with great result.
Sub-Chilling™ is a new and revolutionary chilling method for salmon producers and involves quick chilling the product to the freezing point, without freezing the product. This new technology rapidly chills the product straight after slaughter and ensures that the product is close to -1.5°C/29.3°F when it is packed.
The main benefit of the Sub-Chilling™ system is that it extends the product shelf life for 5-7 days. By implementing Sub-Chilling™, the product becomes the refrigerant and eliminates the need for storing the product in ice. This provides opportunities such as less transportation costs, opens up new and distant markets, increases the consistency of supply and decreases the environmental effect associated with salmon production and transportation.
“At Grieg Seafood we strive to be pioneers in implementation of new and progressive technology. Our latest investment (Sub-Chilling™) is a great way for us to meet our goals to provide our customers with the highest quality possible, as well as minimising our carbon footprint” says Stine Torheim – Plant manager at Greig Seafood Alta.
Aside from the benefits that arise from improved product quality, the system can also improve production stability and new opportunities in distant markets, Stine says.
“We expect that the new system will provide more production stability against seasonal temperature fluctuations and increase chilling consistency throughout the year. Furthermore, by extending the product shelf life with Sub-Chilling™, we can now enter distant markets which was not an option in the past” says Stine Torheim.
The system is expected to be operational in April. “We are excited to produce and market our first Sub-Chilling™ salmon, in April. We will immediately reduce the usage of ice and we hope that when the market for Sub-Chilling™ salmon has evolved, we can eliminate the use of ice entirely” says Stine Torheim.
