April 1, 2020

Icelandic firm offers new tech as frozen fish sales surge

Amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and resulting lockdowns, the demand for fresh fish has plummeted, while that for frozen seafood has risen sharply. According to Intrafish, the US market alone is seeing double-digit growth in canned and frozen fish, but the trend has been observed on a global scale.

"We're already seeing a big uptick in demand for freezing solutions," says Ragnar Guðmundsson, director of sales operations Europe for food-processing equipment maker Skaginn 3X, who notes that many producers are already retooling their lines toward frozen production, either in part or in whole.

Guðmundsson says that Skaginn 3X offers to equip fish processors with the kind of equipment that allows them to freeze product at peak quality in a cost-efficient way and get it out to the market quickly.

He says one of the systems most in demand is the Automatic Contact Freezer, which features short loading and freezing times and uses non-pressure, horizontal freezing to maintain optimal quality. "The freezer is fully automated and available in a range of capacities, up to 100 tonnes per 24 hours for a single unit, so it's an ideal solution for a wide range of producers who are looking to get high-quality product to market as quickly as possible", Guðmundsson explains.

The Automatic Contact Freezer by Skaginn 3X                                        ConTech™ IQF Freezer by Skaginn 3X

Another system that has become more popular is the ConTech™ IQF Freezer, which combines crust and full-freezing in a single unit. "We're seeing increased demand for the ConTech™ IQF Freezer right now because it's a remarkably flexible and cost-efficient system," Guðmundsson says.

"With the patented TCAB belt, product shows very low yield loss and freezes about 40% faster than conventional IQF", he adds.

Skaginn 3X's main operations are located at Akranes, Isafjordur and Reykjavik, all in Iceland, with facilities totalling 15,000 square metres (160,000 sq. feet), affording sufficient space for rigorous pre-delivery testing on all systems and equipment.

Image: Skaginn3X