ProHealth products: A chance for creating a new value of Baltic sprat
Olga Szulecka and Joanna Szlinder-Richert
National Maritime Fisheries Research Institute, Poland
: J Food Nutr Disor
Abstract
Catches of sprat by Polish fleet remain at a constant level of 60-70 thousand tons per year. However only half of sprat catches are intended for consumption and it will be getting lower in future what shows the results of consumer research in EU ProHealth project. Knowledge of sprat by young consumers aged 18-30 is at a very low level (5% in this segment compared 11% in segment >55 years old). However, young consumers declare their willingness to purchase fish pro-health products. Baltic sprat as a small pelagic fish, due to its high content of n-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA at the level of 1.43 g/100 g wet weight has very pro-health potential. Therefore in response to market needs and low use of sprat for consumption purposes, the NMRFI scientists in the ProHealth project compose the canned sprat product with the ingredients that thicken fish leakage during sterilization. It allows developing canned sprat in a pickle, bypassing the steaming operation and obtaining product with higher amount of valuable nutrients (n-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA) in comparison to steamed sprat in cans. The experimental sprat product, which production also saves the energy due to omitting the steaming operation, was sensory tested by consumers and now needs to be developed to be placed on the market.
Biography
Olga Szulecka has completed her PhD from Maritime University in Gdynia. She works as a Senior Specialist of fish legislation, safety and processing technology in National Maritime Fisheries Research Institute. She was the Leader or the Team Member of several scientific national and international projects connected with fish processing technology, traceability implementation and trainings in fish sector. She is an author and co-author of 20 English and Polish publications, books and books chapters in the area of fish technology and traceability. She is a Member of group developing CEN fish labeling standard.
