Norway's scientists invent machine to make better quality fillets

The fish processing industry would soon able to take food safety to a new level as scientists at Norway's aquaculture research institute Nofima have devised a way to detect parasitic nematodes in fish fillet. 

The process of detecting parasites is currently done by hand, but scientists at Nofima Marine have discovered that light can be utilised to separate the good fillets from the bad ones.

The process involves illuminating the fish with white light while a spectrometer would detect signs of nematodes, skin remants or blood in the fillet based on the wavelength of the reflected light, said Scientist Karsten Heia.

This information is then conveyed to a computer that controls the sorting of the fish fillets.

This technology not fulfils the industry's requirement for speed while not affecting the fillet in any way.

The machine was field-tested in a processing plant in Norway and adapted to the faster pace of production.

Heia said that the machine could help the Norwegian fillet industry, which has struggled in recent years to stay profitable amidst rising competition from overseas. The machine would be able to improve efficiency and at the same time ensure quality, she said.