nofima.no
Creating value
2013
7
FInanced by:
The Research Council of Norway, Innovasion Norway,
Nofima, Vartdal Plastindustri
Senior Research Scientist Marit Kvalvåg shows salmon in Superfresh packaging. The secret lies in the cushion the fish is placed on.
photo: Kjell J. Merok © nofima
Briefly, Superfresh is a form of packaging in which
salmon is placed on a cushion (CO2 emitter) consisting
of baking powder and citric acid, among other things.
The air is then removed from the pack and gas is added
before it is sealed. This packaging method is called Modi-
fied Atmosphere Packaging (MAP). Superfresh enables
the salmon to stay fresh for up to 20 days at 1 °C or
10–12 days at 4 °C.
Initially, an emitter has been specially designed for
cod and salmon fillet, but the same method could even-
tually be used for other types of fish and also for meat.
“After the pack is sealed, the cushion develops CO
2
gas and also has absorbent properties. This CO
2
emitter
has been adapted for the product, so that it does not
change the pH value of the fish, and sensory tests have
shown that the fish often has a better quality than com-
parable packaging methods,” says Senior Research Sci-
entist Marit Kvalvåg Pettersen at Nofima. She has been
responsible for the research over the last few years.
Consumer packaging:
The consumer packaging is now
ready for the market and at a later stage transport packs
will also be developed. As well as extending shelf life,
this packaging method has major transportation advan-
tages; it requires less volume and may be transported
together with other food.
“We are very excited about how it will be received.
We envisage two main groups that could benefit from
this packaging method for fresh products - the industry
that prepares and serves food (the HORECA segment)
and the consumer market,” says Jan Endre Vartdal,
Director of Vartdal Plastindustrier.
Tailored to the size of the fish:
There are several fac-
tors that make Superfresh a true innovation. In addition
to shelf life, the packaging is suited to both the type and
size of the fish to give the optimum quantity of CO
2
gas.
Superfresh is the name of the packaging method that enables salmon
to stay fresh for up to 20 days. Several years’ research is behind this.
Keeps salmon fresh for 20 days
