A year-round supply of premium-quality wild salmon ensures that seafood suppliers can capitalize on the universal popularity of these remarkable fish. Skaginn 3X’s RoteXTM Thawing system allows processors to meet the considerable consumer demand for these highly sought-after products, at the same time as optimizing the yield, quality and nutritional profile.
As a food, salmon is a very special fish. Valued very highly across countless markets, and also successfully competing with other proteins like beef, pork and poultry, the relentless growth in consumer demand for salmon shows no signs of slowing. This tsunami of popularity is largely attributable to salmon’s healthy profile, which is underpinned by its high protein and omega-3 fatty acid content, as well as being a key source of important vitamins and minerals.
Of course, there’s a great deal of diversity in the salmon that’s being consumed. That’s because salmon is the common name for several species from the salmonid family, which also includes trout. When it comes to wild catches though, the category is dominated by the five main wild Pacific varieties of king, pink, chum, sockeye and coho salmon, with some very clear differences between them. These include distinct flavors and textures, as well as a wide range of colors, with the decision of which to eat literally coming down to personal preferences.
Collectively, around 1 million metric tons of wild-caught Pacific salmon is caught annually, making it an extremely valuable resource and giving it a vital role as a signature, premium-quality product within the global salmonid sector.
The relatively short harvesting season for wild salmon and the remoteness of the prime fishing grounds poses numerous challenges for processors. That said, solutions are at hand. Chilling and freezing salmon quickly and economically with Skaginn 3X IQF Tunnel Freezers as soon as possible after harvesting helps to lock-in the freshness and quality coveted by salmon lovers.
Ensuring that wild salmon maintain their original nutrients, flavor, size and appearance, Skaginn 3X’s RoteX Thawing system puts processors in prime position to achieve the levels of quality that markets expect, and to deliver on that promise all year round. Furthermore, by using the system, the drip loss and loss of valuable nutrients is minimized through a special two-step thawing process, that results in quality that consistently rivals that of fresh salmon.
As well as seeing increased yields and improved quality compared with other thawing methods, processors also recognize that in using recirculated, filtered water, the RoteXTM Thawing system enables them to deliver a product in the most cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly manner possible, including the scope to reduce their carbon footprint.
