LATVIA
Latvian company is using the minced fish to make a novel product – fish balls with different fillings. This innovation was presented under the brand Amberfish at the exhibition Riga Food 2019 and received an enthusiastic response from visitors who bought more than a tonne of the product. Today it is in demand in the Baltic States and Scandinavia in the foodservice sector and retail chains. LULST scientists have also developed a recipe to create a product from Baltic sprat that closely resembles a Mediterranean specialty, salted anchovies. Over the next couple of years, there are plans to develop a number of products from local raw materials, maximizing the use of allocated quotas and available resources for the production of higher value-added products demanded by the market. Such products will increase processing skills, improve yields from raw materials, and will have a positive impact on the added value of the entire industry.
Production of value-added products calls for upgrade to processing industry A recent analysis of fish processing in Latvia revealed its dependence on a single product – canned fish. Canning as a storage method has an ancient history, but today this method of preserving fish products is declining. However, manufacturers must either substantially refurbish their existing canning equipment (tunnel smokehouses, sealing machines, autoclaves, etc.) or construct new plants to produce novel fish-based foods: fast foods, pasteurized foods, ready meals, etc. Similarly, the qualifications of employees at the existing plants need upgrading to manufacture new types of fish products. Companies have difficulties even to produce prototypes of new products due to the lack of modern laboratory and production equipment. As a result, many new, modern, and potentially marketable products do not reach
the shelves of supermarkets. Latvian fish processing needs a “restart� to introduce innovative and potentially popular products on the market. This will, however, entail the technical refurbishment and reinvention of the industry. For example, LULST research shows that companies’ existing defrosting systems provide the necessary quality for canned food production, but do not comply with the requirements demanded by the fast-food production industry. Similarly, input control procedures for raw materials fulfill the requirements of canneries but do not provide the necessary biochemical control required for the production of new fish products.
Collaboration between scientists and industry is mutually beneďŹ cial LULST is responding to the challenges that Latvian fish processors are facing: technologists at the university are designing new product lines and developing innovative packaging; marketing experts and
economists assist with market research; while scientists together with manufacturers look for ways to improve the efficiency and profitability of production. Close contact with Latvian enterprises allows scientists to plan research relevant to industry taking into account the market situation, the availability of material and labour, as well as the ability of enterprises to deploy EU funds for technical refurbishment. The results of this collaboration between industry and LULST scientists are used in the educational process. Students benefit from attending lectures and doing laboratory work that draws on this research. They become familiar with the day-to-day problems faced by factories and gain an understanding of the technologies and processes that are deployed in a processing plant. This knowledge contributes to engaging students’ interest in the profession of food technologists with a specialisation in fish processing. Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies
Latvia’s electronic traceability system for ďŹ sheries products
Tracking ďŹ sh products all along the distribution chain Control requirements for ďŹ sheries and aquaculture products’ traceability are laid down in the EU’s control regulation and include all stages of weighing, ďŹ rst sale, transport, and distribution of each lot of ďŹ sh products.
T
he control regulation requires each EU Member State to control on its territory the application of the rules of the Common Fisheries
Policy at all stages of the marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products, from the first sale to the retail sale, including transportation. Likewise, Member States
shall ensure that operators have in place systems and procedures to identify their suppliers and their customers. This information shall be made available to the
competent authorities on demand at any time. The traceability system for fish and seafood in Latvia is based on Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2019
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