As part of a drive to extend the scope of its activities, in line with Icelandic government guidelines, Matís is investing in a pelagic processing unit within Síldarvinnslan’s fishmeal plant in Neskaupstaður with the aim of increasing product values.
The facilities Matís is investing in are an addition to the current small plant owned by Héðinn and this step is expected to facilitate research in this field.
Dr. Stefán Thór Eysteinsson has been overseeing this development on behalf of Matís.
“The implementation of the pelagic facility will make it possible to develop new processing procedures and products from parallel production when processing pelagic fish for human consumption,” he said.
“The equipment includes a spray dryer that will be able to produce high-protein powder. Secondly, there is an experimental centrifuge that complements our work, as this can separate fat from raw material intended for protein powder production. There is also a membrane filter that makes it possible to extract better than before other organic matter. This is the equipment that will for the nucleus of the pelagic facility, and with other systems available, we have some tremendous research possibilities,” he said.
He commented that the equipment installed will be used for a number of projects, including a co-operation between Síldarvinnslan, Matís and Fóðurverksmiðjan Laxá to develop protein from parallel production streams in mackerel processing.
“This is where we can use the pelagic facility to produce high-protein powder that can be used in aquaculture and, if everything works out well, also for human consumption. We’re looking to produce high-quality protein powder that’s suitable for human consumption and the focus is also on extracting fish oil with a higher quality than is currently produced. At Matís we have some high hopes for this pelagic facility and see it as a a research unit that will support food production around the country.”
