Smoked fish technologies. Food additives (preservatives) Varex-5, Varex-5S and LIV-4

Sweet-scented fragrance with a hint of fruit smoke, golden tender skin and juicy rosy flesh... it is difficult to resist smoked fish! Alas, hot-smoked fish may be stored just for two or three days without freezing – it’s too short for buyers to have time to enjoy a first class product before it gets spoiled. Using our technology, you can save your superb culinary miracle for up to 15 days without vacuum packing and for up to 40 days in vacuum packing at +2° to +6°C.

For hot-smoked sturgeon food additives Varex-5S and LIV-4 are used, and for other fish species food additive Varex-5 is used.

Hot-smoked fish with Varex-5

The advantages of our technology:

• Positive storage temperature of hot-smoked fish products: +2° to +6°С.
• Extended shelf life:
  • for hot-smoked fish in non-vacuumed packing – up to 15 days;
  • for hot-smoked fish in vacuum packing – up to 40 days.
• High sensory characteristics and natural flavour of freshly prepared hot-smoked fish are preserved throughout the shelf life.
• Safe food additive Varex-5 is used (does not contain hazardous ingredients: sodium benzoate (E211), parabens, antibiotics, etc.).
• Varex-5 performs a complex effect: effectively slows down the processes of spoilage and the appearance of undesirable after-tastes (of oxidized fat, bitterness, etc.), ensures the microbiological safety of finished product.
• Easy-to-use and does not require changing the traditional technological process of hot-smoked fish manufacturing.

Specifications (TU) "Products made from hot-smoked fish" are applicable to all fish species except for anchovies, surmullet, goby (with the exception of ocean and Far East species), sprat, Baltic herring, smelt, orca, Far East salmon with spawning changes ("catfish"), Baltic salmon, sturgeon, vendace, smelt, Azov anchovy.

In accordance with the specifications:

Raw products are: raw fish, chilled and frozen fish, chilled and frozen semi-finished product.

Types of cuts: headless, gutted with head, headless gutted, piece, slice, slice with bone, slice without bones, back, breast, fillet-piece, roll, side piece, belly, carcass, a piece of carcass, fish head. Manufacturing of products made from hot-smoked fish of other types of cutting is permitted, too.

Varex-5 is dissolved in water, and this solution is added to brine during salting.

The process of hot smoking is exercised at +70°..+120°C

Salt content in the finished product ranges from 1.5 to 4.0%.

The products are packed in vacuum packages made of polymeric materials, shrink bags made of polymer films, thermoformed containers made of polymer films, skin packaging, trays covered with thermo foil and trays covered with heat-sealing film.

Products without vacuum are packed in bundles of cardboard or trays covered with stretch film, in boxes made of corrugated cardboard, in stretch film. Other types of packaging permitted by authorities can also be used.

The content of Varex-5 is regulated by sorbic acid. Residual content of sorbic acid in hot-smoked fish produced with our food additive is not more than 0.1%.

The ablility to store hot-smoked fish products at positive temperature plays an important role when retailers choose their suppliers, because not many refridge units are designed for a small negative temperature (0° to -6°C), and disturbance of temperature regime during storage and transportation significantly reduces the gustatory quality of hot-smoked fish. Varex-5 provides the "safety margin" at temperatures up to +6°C.

With the ability to store product at positive temperature, extend its shelf life and maintain high quality, your hot-smoked fish becomes high-demanded by retailers and consumers and can be delivered to new markets abroad.

Hot-smoked sturgeon with Varex-5S and LIV-4

The advantages of our technology:

• Extended shelf life of hot-smoked sturgeon fish:
  • with food additive LIV-4:
    • up to 30 days at -2°..-4°С;
    • up to 60 days at -18°С (after defrosting the fish does not crumble when cut);
  • with food additives Varex-5 or Varex-5S:
    • up to 15 days at -4° to +4°С; in non-vacuumed packing;
    • up to 40 days at -4° to +4°С; in vacuum packing;
    • up to 60 days at -18°С; in vacuum packing;
• High sensory characteristics and natural flavour of freshly prepared hot-smoked fish are preserved throughout the shelf life.
• Safe food additives of Varex and LIV series are used (do not contain hazardous ingredients: sodium benzoate (E211), parabens, antibiotics, etc.).
• Varex and LIV perform a complex effect: effectively slows down the processes of spoilage and the appearance of undesirable after-tastes (of oxidized fat, bitterness, etc.), ensure the microbiological safety of finished product
• Easy-to-use and does not require changing the traditional technological process of hot-smoked sturgeon manufacturing.

In accordance with the Specifications (TU) "Hot-smoked sturgeon fish":

• Raw products are as follows: farmed sturgeon fish and hybrids; live fish, chilled fish and frozen fish.
• Types of cuts are as follows: gutted with head, gutted without head, piece, side piece, back piece, fillet piece, slice, etc.
• The process of hot smoking is exercised at +70°..+120°C.
• Salt content in the finished product ranges from 1.0 to 4.0%.
• Package: piece in a heat sealable bag, piece on a tray covered with a heat-sealing film, slices on a tray covered with a heat-sealing film. Other types of packaging permitted by authorities can also be used.

The content of Varex-5, Varex-5S and LIV-4 is regulated by sorbic acid. Residual content of sorbic acid in hot-smoked sturgeon fish produced with our food additive is not more than 0.1%.

Technical documents for chilled fish production (in Russian)

• Interstate standard GOST 7447-2015 "Hot-smoked fish. Specifications";
• Interstate standard GOST 7445-2004 "Hot-smoked sturgeons. Specifications";
• Specifications "Products made from hot-smoked fish" and technological instruction for hot-smoked fish production with food additive Varex-5;
• Specifications "Hot-smoked sturgeons" and technological instruction for hot-smoked sturgeons production with food additives Varex-5 and Varex-5S;
• Specifications "Hot-smoked sturgeons" and technological instruction for hot-smoked sturgeons production with food additive LIV-4.

Further reading

You can learn more about our technologies of hot-smoked fish and food additives Varex-5, Varex-5S and LIV-4 in the following papers and articles:

• Innovations in hot-smoked fish technology
  
• The use of Varex series food additives for hot-smoked fish
  

Download a booklet (pdf; 0, 96 MB)

Using Varex-5, Varex-5S and LIV-4, you ensure consistent quality of hot-smoked fish during shelf life and also preserve the useful properties of product that customers appreciate.