Leading Alaska-based fish producer Snopac has implemented a revolutionary new ice slurry system from IceGen Inc. The company was eager to find a cooling system that would enable it to meet the needs of its large expansion: it has more than tripled the production facility’s ice capabilities with the help of its new IceGen System.
Snopac works with local commercial fisheries to process sockeye salmon for sale to retailers, and is under constant pressure to deliver only the highest quality products to retailers around the globe. The processing season is short and requires advanced equipment to rapidly process product without any compromise to quality.
Traditionally, Snopac used flake ice to ensure fish freshness during holding periods and transportation.
It takes deliveries from more than 100 commercial fishing boats and each boat requires over 1000 lbs of flake ice per boat per day to maintain product freshness.
Using flake ice during processing and on the ships is labour intensive and costly. The cost of refrigerating product with flake ice requires up to four machines with its additional energy supply requirements.
Slurry ice was always an attractive concept to Snopac, but the company said that until IceGen, no vendor could meet the stringent requirements of the company.
With slurry ice, the company was able to achieve:
- Product that was cooled faster – with the dramatically increased surface area contact with the fish, the product cooled far faster than using other types of ice, and as a result, the fish was fresher and possessed higher quality;
- Better product protection - the smooth, round crystals of ice slurry does not damage the delicate texture of the fish flesh; and
- Even and consistent ongoing cooling - the round shape of the slurry crystals flows freely around the entire fish, filling all air pockets to uniformly maintain direct contact and the desired temperature.
Toronto, Canada, -based IceGen delivered a pumpable ice slurry solution for the boats and the holding tanks with considerably reduced labour and operating costs.
The single product solution with IceGen has the capability of producing 80 tonnes of ice per day, including 300 tonnes of slurry ice per day, at a quarter of the cost of the existing solution, while dramatically reducing handling costs, energy costs and while improving product quality.
Snopac CEO Greg Blakey said the company has been impressed with the new system.
“It is compact and easy to use and maintain while giving us the tonnage of ice and cooling needed for our operation. Another benefit over the traditional flake ice machines is the refrigeration efficiency which helps to reduce cost,” he said.
“We are studying other applications for this technology in our salmon processing, including using the IceGen in lieu of refrigerated sea water (RSW) in the boats and tenders that deliver fish to us.”
According to Motti Einhorn, president and CEO of IceGen, slurry Ice has long been a great solution for the fishing industry.
“We are proud of the solution we have jointly built with Snopac and look forward to expanding its application throughout many of Snopac’s processes. Our goal is to deliver a reliable energy efficient solution to our customers to improve product quality and reduce costs associated with fish handling,” said Einhorn.
Snopac was established in 1983 and remains one of the few independently owned and operated fish companies in Alaska.
The company operates one of the largest floating processor ships in Alaska, in addition to a recently expanded land-based plant in Dillingham.
