Refrigeration unit in the drying chamber for fish. Dried fish: we open our business mini workshop. Technology and equipment

Currently, in the food industry, the quality of seafood and their processing is given increased attention. First of all, due to the tendency of the same chilled fish to quick loss freshness after harvest.

Considering that the modern consumer is becoming more and more serious about the choice of food products, a simple fact is obvious to their producers: it is possible to obtain ready-to-eat seafood with high gastronomic qualities, good digestibility by the human body and environmentally friendly using only advanced, high-tech food equipment. One of these types is definitely industrial cameras for curing and drying fish.

Technology, types of cameras and the principle of their operation

Industrial drying and with the help of special chambers, thanks to strict observance of all technological nuances, is designed to ensure the production of a quality product in volumes sufficient for wholesale and network trade. This variant of fish processing is an interconnected chain of several successive processes, the task of which ultimately comes down to one thing: the transfer of moisture in the product into a vapor state and its removal to the external environment.

Now the market offers three types of drying and drying chambers for seafood: tunnel, cabinet and chamber. All of them can be intermittent or continuous action. Tunnel installations are the most popular among fish processors. Their main advantage is in productivity, which for the most powerful models reaches 2000 kg per day. True, there is a significant disadvantage - with such volumes it is very difficult to obtain uniform quality for all finished products. That is why it is sometimes more expedient to use less productive (up to 400 kg/day), but more efficient chamber or cabinet cameras.

The principle of loading raw materials into installations of different types has its own differences. In some, the fish is hung vertically, in others it is laid horizontally, but for all there is one requirement - the products should not come into contact with each other.

As for the drying or drying technology itself, it is built according to a single concept. First, in the chamber conditioner, the air is cooled to a dew state. Here, condensate is removed from it. Then, from the heating elements, the air is heated and made dry. Further, heated from 18 to 35 °С (during drying) or from 40 to more than 100 °С (drying), air at a speed of about 18 m/s is fed into the chamber with fish products, where it removes moisture from its surface. And so it goes cycle after cycle, until seafood reaches a state of complete readiness.

Camera Overview

On the Russian market Today, a large number of models of drying and drying plants are presented. Moreover, most of these are equipment of domestic manufacturers. Within the framework of our material, of course, you can’t tell about everyone. However, it is in our power to single out the most interesting from the whole variety.

For example, cameras from the Izhitsa company (St. Petersburg) are quite popular in Russia and neighboring countries. The model is intended for effective drying and drying large and small fish before smoking. The advantage of this cabinet-type installation is that it occupies an area of only 1 sq. m, and from 3-8 chambers it is possible to form a single drying complex for industrial drying of large volumes of seafood. In this case, there is no need to separately configure each of the cameras. All control is reduced to a single control unit. With the help of one installation with a capacity of 80 kg, 20-55 kg of dried or dried fish can be obtained in one cycle.

As already mentioned, tunnel-type chambers for drying and drying fish are widely used in the food industry. One of the most common models is produced by the enterprise MNPP "INITIATIVA" (Alexandrov, Vladimir region).

It has a collapsible modular design, which allows you to adjust its performance by changing the parameters of a single load from 200 to 1000 kg. True, for such an industrial installation there are
certain requirements for the room in which it is planned to install it. So, it should be dry, spacious, comfortable Maintenance cameras, loading and unloading products. The ambient temperature is from +10 to +30 ° С, and the ceiling height is at least 3 m. Finally, the installation will also need to be connected to the central ventilation and sewerage system.

A large range of drying systems is being created in another St. Petersburg company. By the way, in this organization there is an opportunity to purchase installations of all types: chamber, cabinet and tunnel. We will turn your attention to the first type.

The manufacturer offers its customers chamber plants operating on various energy sources and on any type of fuel: electricity, oil products and their waste (processing), natural gas, steam, wood processing waste, pellets (pressed wood waste). Moreover, depending on the capabilities of the client, the company's specialists will select exactly the equipment that will allow organizing a truly profitable business with a production capacity of 100 to 2000 kg.

Very high-quality installations for drying and, as well as snack and meat products, are produced at the PKP "TEKHTRON +" (Obninsk, Kaluga region). The developer gives a 20-year warranty on its heat chambers!

For example, model UK-ZSV tunnel type made of high-quality stainless steel and has a rigid structure that protects the chamber from fatigue changes and destruction of thermal insulation during long-term operation. Single loading of the plant varies from 100 to 250 kg depending on the product. The layout options of the chamber also differ: the location of the doors, the dehumidifier, the installation of overhead tracks, the walk-through version (2 doors), etc.

Continuation of the article

atmospheric and climatic.

Dryer for fish, assembly from improvised materials

Conventional chamber installations depend on environmental conditions, for example, air is supplied to the chamber during the warm season from an external environment with a temperature of 250C and a relative humidity of 70%. Entering the chamber with a working temperature of the process of 250C, 1 m3 of air is able to take no more than 3 g of moisture. Having imagined a chamber with a relatively large exhaust system, where 1 m3 of supply and exhaust air per 1 kg of fish, we find that under such conditions, only 3 grams of moisture is removed from 1 kg of fish per hour. And in total, for the whole process, we need to remove up to 0.5 liters from a kg of raw materials. And if we take into account the moisture from the surface remaining after soaking, then we can imagine the dynamics of the process. But this does not take into account the fact that in the external environment there may be conditions of increased relative humidity or the temperature of the incoming air is higher than the required set drying temperature.

When the temperature in the body of the fish drops to a predetermined limit, the temperature of the surface of the fish is equal to the temperature of the chamber, the internal diffusion of moisture from the thickness to the surface slows down. The surface of the fish becomes wet, as the drying of the surface due to internal heat stops. At this time, the chambers automatically switch to drying at the highest possible temperature for the product. The calorific system significantly increases the air temperature, the relative humidity of the working environment first drops by a significant amount, and then begins to rise, signaling an increased evaporation from the surface of the product. The higher the ambient temperature, the lower the relative humidity of the air, the more drying qualities the air has. At this moment, the hot air saturated with moisture is emitted by the exhaust system into the atmosphere. The efficiency of this method of extracting moisture is about 5 times higher than we would condense on the evaporator of a refrigerator.

The fish, cold inside, and moist outside, intensively evaporates moisture, maintaining a low temperature of the evaporation surface. That is, we are not afraid to overheat and cook the fish. As soon as the temperature of the fish begins to rise to a predetermined limit, this indicates the drying of the surface layer, we turn off the operation of the heater and proceed to the cooling stage again.

Nedosekov Kirill, 2010

Drying helps to significantly increase the shelf life of perishable foodstuffs. Fish drying technology provides for the removal of moisture from it, the content of which, depending on the breed, should not exceed 35-45%. Some types of fish products, for example, sturgeon balyks, may have a moisture content of up to 50%.

Two types of fish drying

In theory, drying can be natural or artificial. In the first case, processing is carried out on outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. However for the production of dried fish in significant volumes, most often resort to artificial drying. For this, special equipment is used, with the help of which a special temperature regime is maintained, and not atmospheric air, but inert gases, such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen, act as a drying agent.

Artificial drying has several advantages over natural. Firstly, the processing time is significantly reduced - several times. Secondly, dependence on various atmospheric phenomena is removed, because at high humidity, the production of dried fish becomes impossible. Thirdly, the quality of the final product improves, since inert gaseous media do not allow fats to oxidize, which occurs when exposed to atmospheric air. Oxidation affects the taste of dried fish, significantly worsening them.

Thus, artificial fish drying technology looks more attractive from all points of view - on the one hand, its use allows you to increase the volume of products by an order of magnitude, on the other hand, the quality and taste of dried fish increase.

Process steps

Artificial drying of fish occurs in several stages:

washing;
sorting;
salting;
drying;
package.

Washing is carried out in order to remove contaminants, as well as foreign particles, the presence of which on fish is inevitable in whatever conditions it is stored or transported. Sorting involves the distribution of fish into groups based on the size of the carcasses. This is necessary in order to achieve uniform salting, because the concentration of the brine used, as well as the time spent in it, depends on the caliber of the fish.

The salting container is filled by a third with brine, in which fish are laid in rows, sprinkling each new layer with salt. The recommended grinding is No. 3, the required amount is determined based on the volume of processed fish - 18% by weight.

To achieve high-quality salting, it is necessary to maintain the appropriate temperature regime. Sharp temperature drops with artificial technology of fish drying are unacceptable. It is also necessary to periodically mix the fish mass, which ensures a more uniform distribution of brine and its optimal concentration in the volume of the salting bath.

The easiest way to quickly and efficiently mix large volumes of fish is to simply transfer them from one container to another. However, at the final stages of salting, it is better to use the tilting technology, while adding salt to the container - about 5% of the total mass of the fish.

The final stage of fish preparation is stringing on twine or rods. In this form, the workpieces are thoroughly rinsed in fresh running water to remove brine residues or particles of undissolved salt from the surface of the carcasses. If this is not done, the salt will crystallize during the drying process. This not only spoils the appearance of the finished product, but also contributes to its moisture during storage and infection by pests, such as cheese fly or leather beetle. Additional processing of fish in a 3% solution of acetic acid, which is carried out immediately before placing the blanks in the chambers of special equipment, will help to avoid such consequences.

Drying process

Traditional fish drying technology involves the use of special tunnel-type installations. A drying agent enters the chamber through which the carts with blanks move under pressure.

Drying chamber Izhitsa-SV

After passing through the tunnel, it is removed from the chamber along with the moisture extracted from the fish.

Dryers are divided into 4 zones, each of which maintains the appropriate temperature and humidity conditions. At the first stage, the workpieces are processed at a temperature of 22 degrees, then it rises to 25, in the third zone - 28, and at the fourth stage, unheated air from the air conditioner is supplied to the chamber. Accordingly, when moving from one zone to another, the relative humidity of the air also decreases.

An important nuance - every 6 hours it is necessary to take a break of about 1.5-2 hours. This is necessary so that the moisture remaining in the product is evenly distributed over the entire thickness of the fish.

The final stage

Upon completion of the curing process, cooked fish sorted not only by size, but also by quality, after which the product is placed in a special container. Most often, these are cardboard boxes, less often cans or plastic bags, the use of which allows you to create optimal storage conditions.

The shelf life of dried fish in plastic bags or metal cans is practically unlimited., while cardboard boxes ensure the normal state of the product only during the first 3 months. However, cardboard packaging is much cheaper, which affects the cost and competitiveness of products.

It should be noted that the profitability of small enterprises for the production of dried fish cannot be high. This is explained by the fact that fish drying technology requires significant costs associated both with the purchase of special substances (conditioners, inert gases, etc.) and high costs of electricity.

Continuation of the article Cold drying and drying of fish.

Cold drying methods.

There are two cold drying methods: atmospheric and climatic.

Atmospheric cold drying

A characteristic feature of atmospheric drying is the transformation of moisture on the surface of the material and even in deeper layers from a liquid state into a gaseous state. A change in the state of aggregation of moisture requires heat, so the intensity of evaporation primarily depends on the influx of heat from the outside. Thus, at normal atmospheric pressure, drying should be accompanied by a continuous supply of heat to the fish in the amount necessary to maintain the appropriate temperature in it.

Let me remind you that when moisture evaporates from any surface, the surface itself cools. This is how the human body regulates thermoregulation. If cooling is needed, the person sweats and cools down.

This method works in standard chamber dryers and natural drying of fish. It is characterized by a high duration of the drying process and the instability of the result, due to several reasons that we will consider.

The cold drying process, essentially extracting moisture from fish, is divided into two main steps. The first stage begins when we roll into the chamber or hang the fish wet after soaking on stationary hangers. The second stage, when we managed to get rid of surface moisture and reach a stable drying mode. Let's consider both of these stages of atmospheric drying.

The stage of removal of surface moisture is characterized by a long drying time of the surface layer, when evaporation (external diffusion) from the surface of the fish is maximum. Difficulties with overcoming this stage arise in chamber dryers - when the ventilation system of the chamber cannot cope with the influx of moisture from the surface of wet fish that has just been brought into the chamber. According to studies, at a relative humidity above 78%, the fish ceases to give up moisture, and at a relative humidity above this value, the reverse process begins. Conventional chamber installations depend on environmental conditions, for example, air is supplied to the chamber during the warm season from an external environment with a temperature of 250C and a relative humidity of 70%. Entering the chamber with a working temperature of the process of 250C, 1 m3 of air is able to take no more than 3 g of moisture. Having imagined a chamber with a relatively large exhaust system, where 1 m3 of supply and exhaust air per 1 kg of fish, we find that under such conditions, only 3 grams of moisture is removed from 1 kg of fish per hour.

How to make a dryer for fish with your own hands

And in total, for the whole process, we need to remove up to 0.5 liters from a kg of raw materials. And if we take into account the moisture from the surface remaining after soaking, then we can imagine the dynamics of the process. But this does not take into account the fact that in the external environment there may be conditions of increased relative humidity or the temperature of the incoming air is higher than the required set drying temperature.

This is a very undesirable stage for the quality of the product as a whole - at high humidity and a temperature of about 250C, conditions are created for the growth of microflora on the surface of the product and in the chamber itself, and the risk of damage to the semi-finished product inside the fish also increases significantly. For these reasons, this step should be kept as short as possible. Natural dryers in good sunny weather in spring and summer are free from this disadvantage due to the unlimited exchange of air with the external environment, but in rainy weather there is still the same risk of damage to the entire batch of products. Due to the instability of weather conditions and the impossibility of year-round drying, more and more manufacturers refuse to use natural dryers, despite low energy costs, excellent taste and consistency of dried products.

At the beginning of the second stage, we observe an ideal process when external and internal diffusion are maximum. While the surface of the fish is slightly damp, as the surface dries quickly, moisture from the inner layers comes in large portions. But as soon as the relative humidity of the circulating air begins to fall, increasing the drying properties of the air at a high circulation rate, there is a rapid drying of the evaporation surface and further cessation of drying (external diffusion). A dry crust begins to form. The deeper the overdried layer (crust thickness), the more difficult it is to “soak” it in order to continue the drying process. One of the main mistakes in the production of dried and dried products is a significant overdrying of the surface - the fish looks dry, but when such a fish is cut, we observe wet insides and wet zones near the ridge of uncut fish sent for drying. With the passage of time, during storage of such fish, the humidity levels up to a state of moisture equilibrium and the fish becomes wet. The entire alignment process can last from 3 days or more, depending on the packaging method, and quality claims can be received by the manufacturer after the product is sold. They fight against the drying of the surface layer by alternating drying and a long rest without air movement, during which the moisture leveling occurs due to moisture coming from the inner layers of the fish (internal diffusion). But with the course of the process (decrease in moisture in the thickness of the fish), internal diffusion begins to decrease, significantly delaying the drying process. And at this stage, the processors overdry the surface - so that the leveling occurs after the removal of the fish from the hanger. On the basis of this, unscrupulous equipment sellers get such (up to 3 days) short terms for the manufacture of dried products.

Climatic method of cold drying

A characteristic feature of climatic drying is the transformation of moisture on the surface of the material and even in deeper layers from a liquid state into a gaseous state throughout the process. The heat from the calorific unit is spent on the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the dried product during drying and from the product itself when the chamber is cooled. Cooling the circulating air causes an increase in relative humidity, but at the same time, due to a change in partial pressures in the fish, moisture from the inner layers begins to move intensively to the surface. At the same time, the dried outer layer begins to be affected by the low temperature of the circulating air outside, and the heat from the inside. With a decrease in the speed of the air flowing around the product, a zone favorable for the equality of external and internal diffusion is formed, which ensures a high drying rate at the cooling stage. During the temperature decrease during cooling, moisture condensation increases on the evaporator of the refrigerator, which additionally allows you to take away some of the moisture extracted from the fish from the circulating air.

But the characteristics of refrigeration machines do not allow the use of refrigeration equipment for the complete condensation of moisture from fish, even on final stages drying, when external and internal diffusion is minimal. This is due to the fact that the loading of frames with fish and the design of placing a large amount of fish in a small area creates many stagnant zones, which are unacceptable during drying. The method of dealing with dead zones is to increase the air velocity, and this is achieved big power circulation fans. When designing drying chambers based on the climatic method, it is necessary to take into account high speeds in air conditioners - air preparation units, for which evaporators of refrigeration machines are not designed.

Using this method of cold drying allows you to get a product that is uniform in moisture content in a very short time. a short time. And here, as we see, everything is fair. The difficulty lies in the fact that this system becomes operational only with proper programming and understanding of drying algorithms.

Our company is engaged in the design, installation and commissioning of chambers for cold drying of fish in a climatic way. We work out all technological cycles associated with cold smoking, cold drying, defrosting.

Nedosekov Kirill, 2010

Features of the technology of drying and drying fish by moisture condensation

The technology of drying-drying fish involves the expenditure of energy for the evaporation of moisture from the product. So, in order to heat a liter of water from 0 to 100 ° C, 0.16 kW is required, and to evaporate this amount of water, 0.64 kW is required. In other words, water, turning into steam, becomes an energy carrier, i.e. the volume of steam corresponding to 1 liter of water carries 0.64 kW of energy. If this amount of steam is condensed, then a liter of water and heat are obtained, in the amount originally spent on evaporation. The operation of condenser dryers is based on this law of physics.

Advantages of the technology of drying and curing fish by the method of moisture condensation

The installation, which is used in the technology of drying-drying fish, is a refrigeration unit.

Just atas!

Like any similar device, it consists of a compressor and two heat exchangers: cold and hot. On the cold heat exchanger, the wet steam taken from the drying chamber condenses, which corresponds to the influx of heat, and on the hot heat exchanger, the dried air is heated and the already heated air is returned back to the drying chamber. With such an organization of the process, it is possible to save a large amount of energy, using the heat that has already been once spent on heating. Our equipment allows us to maintain the level of 18-30 degrees and the required humidity. This is an indispensable component of the fish drying-drying technology, as the taste of the product is significantly improved.

Cooling mode in fish drying technology

The cooling mode is characteristic summer period drying, when the outdoor temperature is higher than the required temperature in the drying chamber, while the unit periodically switches to dehumidification mode, maintaining the required temperature and humidity.

The operation of the equipment is carried out as follows: the installation fan takes moist air from the chamber, first passing it through a cold radiator, where it is dried and, accordingly, cooled, then the air immediately enters the drying chamber, where the temperature drops to a predetermined value.

Dehumidification mode in fish curing and drying technology

Dry mode is used in all stages technological process drying. This mode is necessary in order to lower the humidity in the drying / drying chamber. An important point is that the temperature is maintained without external (additional) heat sources. Our fish processing equipment operates in a closed circuit in such a way that the heat from the refrigeration unit, obtained as a result of condensation, is sent back to the curing chamber.

New system for automating the technological process of drying fish:

Together with fish processing technologists, our engineers managed to create an automated fish drying process control system. This automation system consists of a microprocessor installed inside the control panel and an operator panel mounted outside the panel. With the help of the operator panel (see photo), the technologist changes the parameters of the drying process: the number of processing stages, the operating time of the equipment at each stage, sets the required humidity and temperature. These parameters are easy to change and easy to keep track of the current moment of work, since all key parameters are displayed on the operator's front panel in Russian. Such an organization of logic management allows you to simply register the entire drying cycle from loading to removing fish. When analyzing the parameters of the air inside the drying chamber, the microprocessor relies on data received from temperature / humidity sensors with a sensor-type sensitive element. Thus, we were able to get away from the psychrometric method of measuring humidity (the method of measuring the difference in the readings of dry and wet thermometers). This, in turn, improved the quality of air parameters readings and increased the stability of the fish processing process. In addition, with this method of measuring humidity, there is no need to monitor the wet thermometer (moisten the gauze wrapping the wet thermometer with water). The new fish drying process automation system has already earned praise from fish processing technologists for its ease of use and reliability.

Advantages of our installation:

Achieving a stable result of our technology of drying and drying fish, regardless of weather conditions: heat in summer, humidity in autumn and during rain, the drying process goes according to plan;
1 ton of fish will turn into dried fish in 48 hours;
Only 0.5 kW of electricity is consumed per 1 kg of fish;
The taste of dried fish is always great. The curing process takes place at a temperature of 18-25 C° and low humidity. These are the optimal conditions for the drying process. If you keep these modes, the fats in the fish do not oxidize, and the fish does not go rotten;
Eliminates the need for salting fish. Moderately salted dried fish favorably distinguishes a manufacturer using low-temperature drying technology from other manufacturers;
Constant maintenance of conditions of low relative humidity in the drying chamber;
High energy efficiency, as the heat from the condensed moisture evaporated from the fish is returned to the drying chamber (saving more than 200 kW per 1 ton of fish). It does not require heating elements.

The above advantages of the fish drying equipment we offer will attract the attention of customers and, in the future, gain a reputation as a seller of the most delicious fish, which will lead to a significant increase in sales. Use the right technologies for drying and drying fish and high-quality fish processing equipment.

Download books:

IV All-Russian Conference "Natural Resources"

fish technology and fish products 2010

Drying is the process of slow dehydration of pre-salted fish in a natural or artificial environment.

At the same time, complex biochemical processes occur that change the taste and appearance of the fish, which allows the product to be consumed without additional culinary processing (fish meat ripens).

For drying, fish of all families are used. The best raw materials are semi-fat and oily fish. They are both tastier and weight loss during cooking is lower.

Fish dryer, Turbo fish dryer, do-it-yourself, how much does it cost.

The ratio of protein and fat in fish meat should be at least 0.8. If there is not enough fat, then it is better to dry such fish. Before the start of production, the fish is sorted by weight and size, be sure to thoroughly wash it from mucus (otherwise it will turn into a hard-to-remove dirty-yellow film and spoil the product) and then cut.

Ways of cutting for drying

uncut;
Ungutted headless;
Gutted with head;
Gilled, that is, the gills are removed;
The layer is headless;
Plast with a head;
Half-layer;
Back-balychok;
Bokovnik.

Small fish can be left uncut or finned. For example, roach, crucian carp, rudd, roach, ide, horse mackerel, mackerel, herring, perch.

Large raw materials must be cut. Then the fish must be salted with dry or mixed salting to a salt content of at least 6% in the thickness of the meat. This process may take about a week. The next operation is soaking. It is needed so that brine does not appear on the surface of the finished product - salt deposits. Depending on the size of the carcass or its parts, the fish is kept in clean water or a weak solution of brine from 1 to several hours.

Preparing fish for drying

And then the fun begins. The prepared fish is strung on metal rods, or slats, the distance between the carcasses is 5-6 centimeters, while it is important that the backs are directed in one direction. And they start to wilt. We will not dwell on curing in natural conditions. This is a long process, it is difficult to regulate the process, because, as you know, it is impossible to order the weather. For industrial production, only drying of fish in an artificial environment is suitable. For example, using the drying chamber Izhitsa SV.

The main difference between the drying process and drying is the maturation of fish meat. Under the action of its own enzymes and oxygen, the fish undergoes slow autolysis, that is, hydrolytic decomposition of complex substances occurs: proteins, fats, glycogen, etc. In particular, fat becomes dispersed and distributed between muscle fibers. From this, the fish becomes translucent, amber in color. And muscle proteases partially break down proteins and soften muscle tissue. As a result, the raw fish becomes ready to eat and acquires a specific taste and aroma.

The maturation of fish is a biochemical process, which means that the temperature in the drying chamber should activate the activity of enzymes, and not suppress them. Enzymes work at a temperature of 25-35 degrees, at 40 degrees and above they are destroyed.

Drying equipment Izhitsa

The Izhitsa SV installation allows you to observe all the subtleties of the technology. After all, the unit is equipped with a reliable German fan that creates a dense air flow, a programmable timer that allows you to automatically turn on and off the unit so that the fish is dried in stages and evenly, with an adjustable power tense to maintain optimum temperature cooking. For comparison, one cage of fish in this chamber can be dried in 24 hours, and in the natural environment, this process can take several months. Reduction of terms is achieved due to the fact that the ripening process launched in the installation continues already during the storage of products in the warehouse. The finished high-quality product should have dense, but soft meat and taste without signs of dampness. The moisture content in dried fish is from 38 to 50%, and salt - up to 14%.

Dried delicacies

With the help of drying, you can also get some types of delicacies that are now extremely rare in stores, which means that this niche in the market of fish products is almost empty. Such gastronomic rarities include hanging fish and salmon. hanging fish obtained by reducing the drying time. The moisture content in such products is higher than in conventional products, and reaches 66%. But it is much tastier and juicier than just dried. However, high humidity makes loose fish a perishable product, it must be quickly sold.

Balyk is a dried back of salmon or sturgeon fish. For example, salmon can be made from large Pacific salmon such as chum salmon or chinook salmon.

First, they cut the fish - they cut off the back of the fish. An incision is made from the humerus, one and a half centimeters below the lateral line and parallel to it to the anal fin. Then cut off the head and dorsal fin, remove the insides.

At the next stage, the raw materials are thoroughly washed with a brush, removing mucus and internal films. Next, the backs are sorted by size and proceed to salting in a mixed way. First, the balyks are rubbed with salt, then they are placed in layers in salted containers, sprinkled with salt and ice. Moreover, they need to be distributed as follows: one third of the norm of salt falls on the lower third of the dishes, the norm is placed in the middle, and three quarters of the norm of salt and ice are placed on the upper third.

The top layer of the fish is covered again with a layer of salt and ice, all this is covered with a cloth, and then it is also filled with a saturated saline solution. After 5-6 days, when the salinity of balyk meat reaches 7-8%, the fish is pulled out of the brine and soaked in clean water for 4-6 hours.

Then hung on skewers and sent to the drying chamber. In order for the fish to dry evenly, the fan must be stopped several times during the process, so that the moisture is evenly redistributed in the thickness of the meat. This is exactly what a programmable timer is needed for, which the Izhitsa SV installation has. It allows you to automate the process.

And the output will be a unique product, which in Soviet times was a symbol of total scarcity. And now it can be successfully produced in any volume, and make a profit. And our equipment for fish processing will help in this.

Drying fish. Part 1. How it all began.

You can see the definition of the curing process in the Wikipedia article I wrote, Curing. I draw your attention to the fact that I have prepared only the main, introductory part. Nonsense that begins with the heading “Drying meat and fish” about the peoples of the Far North and beyond has nothing to do with me.

The method is based on several fundamental principles based on the physical laws of thermodynamics and observation of the processes occurring in the natural environment, which I observed and systematized in early spring in the Caspian region: Astrakhan region, in Azerbaijan, in Dagestan. The best drying results are achieved in the spring, when the nights are cold and the days are not yet very hot. It was these differences between night and day temperatures that formed the basis of my method of drying fish. I also noticed a feature, confirmed by the old-timers of traditional technologies, that sunny weather in the daytime has a positive effect on the quality of dried fish, and mostly cloudy weather does not allow you to get a product of the desired quality. Natural drying becomes impossible when the daytime temperature allows the fish to warm up no higher than 24-260C. And the night temperature does not lower the temperature of the fish below 140C. It is said that the fish begins to "burn". During the day, the surface of the skin of the fish dries up so much that night cooling and the resulting pressure difference do not allow soaking the dried surface layer and leaving moisture to the surface. This creates conditions for damage to the moisture-saturated inner layers.

It should be mentioned that a prerequisite for natural drying is a shade that does not allow direct sunlight to affect the fish. This is due to the presence in sunshine infrared radiation that heats up the surface. For proper curing, diffused light is needed, containing ultraviolet rays, which act on the fat of the fish. The mechanism of ultraviolet radiation is similar to the processes that occur with a person during sunburn. The fat that protrudes on the surface of the skin of the fish semi-finished product due to the pressure difference during heating, irradiated with ultraviolet radiation, returns to the thickness of the fish through the same microcapillaries upon cooling. The irradiated fat, penetrating into the muscle tissue, interacts with proteins, which as a result allows the fat, as it were, to saturate the meat, providing taste maturation, elastic structure and “transparency” of fish meat to the light. Fat from the places of its natural localization (for example, in vobla it is redistributed from abdominal cavity throughout muscle tissue). It is important to note that ultraviolet irradiation is advisable in the last stages of drying, when most of the water has been extracted from the fish. Then lighter fat gets the opportunity to fill the capillaries.

This is the main difference between dried fish and dried fish. Where there was light, fish meat in the finished dried product will be elastic and transparent to the light without feeling fat on the belly. Dried fish, languishing in the dark, will have dry, cloudy meat and a fatty belly.

Product ripening factors are not directly related to drying. It is important to understand what product we want to get: dried or dried. The curing process takes much longer than the dehydration process.

Drying fish as a business

In most cases, in today's economic conditions, high drying rates are required. The maturation processes become unprofitable due to their duration associated with the movement of fats through muscle tissue, when fish meat is, as it were, saturated with fat, and complex reactions with proteins. For most modern manufacturers, the first question becomes: “how long will it dry?”. This means that a person is interested in drying time, and not drying. But at present, when the level of knowledge of fish products producers about fish is low, the buyer is undemanding: “I’ll go with beer!” - I stopped delving into the theory of drying and concentrate on simple drying. On my own behalf, I’ll add that I’m waiting for offers from people who would like to make real dried fish, and for whom it would be unprincipled to dry the roach in 3 days. But these technologies also require large financial investments. But, in the end, the doors can be opened for manufacturers of such a product not only in folk pubs. The Spaniards are in no hurry in the production of real jamon! At the same time, they feel quite confident and their product is worth it. But a person with a delicate taste could well enjoy dried roach. But its production is longer and more energy-intensive.

Troubles are brought to the salty semi-finished product by an ordinary fly, which is very difficult to deal with. I believe that everyone understands the harm caused by the larvae of the fly, which happily live and feed on wet " inner world" fish. And the more moisture remains in the fish, the more comfortable maggots feel. Therefore, it is extremely important to create conditions that do not allow flies to enter the drying rooms. It should be noted that flies do not live comfortably in dryers, where sufficient air circulation is organized. A fly cannot overcome a stream of air moving at a speed of more than 0.3 m/s. Flies fall prey to being sucked into the system, where the evaporator grids and fan impeller doom the flies to physical injury and suffering incompatible with their lives)

How is vitamin D synthesized in humans? Fat, protruding to the surface of the skin, due to the special function of the epidermis, is saturated with previtamin (the precursor of provitamin) D3, when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, it turns into provitamin D3 or cholecalciferol, which is transferred by the bloodstream from the epidermis to the liver, where vitamin D itself is already synthesized.

To the list of articles on technology.

Nedosekov Kirill, 2013

This is the 3rd generation of drying chambers that we manufacture. Most efficient due to large air flow, powerful dehumidification and application of the heat pump principle (using a temperature gradient). The installation is universal both for use for fish fillets and for mounted whole fish. What makes it universal for any fish products, including: caviar, seafood and straws.

	Name of equipment and components
	Drying installation OIA 3(2x5=10 Euroram) 3.5x5.3 meters in size up to 2 tons of loading for fresh raw materials (whole fish of a vertical hitch, for example, bream, blue bream, roach). Execution STANDARD: ● Unit block (heating and air injection equipment) is made of galvanized steel, reversible. ● Air dehumidification unit (2 evaporators inside the chamber) with a total capacity of 15 kW. ● Automatic control panel based on MP-200 ● Automatic humidity control system ● Power control cabinet. German-made automation and electrics. ● Measuring sensors. 1 of the sensors shows the temperature of the fish during drying. ● 2 Refrigeration units with a total capacity of 15 kW of cold. ● Ceiling for horizontal flow ● KNOW HOW. Height alignment system. Provides uniform wilting over the entire height of the trolley.
	. OPTION. More ergonomic, comfortable and informative. Allows you to display and store all data on the process on a personal computer. And see online everything that happens: temperature, humidity, drying mode, etc.
	Version of the drying chamber in the PREMIUM package. Same as STANDARD + extra: Freon recovery unit for 18 kW of heat (2nd condenser operating according to our program). Allows you to work without heating elements in the main drying mode. Saving up to 90% of electricity. Automatic control panel MP-1000 with the output of the drying parameters to a personal computer. Automatic water supply to the psychrometer tank. Execution of an electric case stainless steel.

Drying chamber 3rd generation

The 3rd generation of drying chambers of our production. The most efficient due to the large air flow and powerful dehumidification. The installation is universal both for horizontally located fish fillets or straws, and for mounted whole fish. What makes it universal for any fish products, including: caviar, seafood and straws.
Drying chambers equipped with logic control OIA 3 , using high-speed air flow, thermal technology, allow you to dry meat or fish and other food products in an optimal and highly economical mode with air dehumidification. Drying is carried out due to 3 factors: air movement, air drying and active evaporation of moisture due to temperature difference (heating). These 3 methods allow you to dry fish quickly, evenly and efficiently.

Drying chambers OIA 3 ensure a fast and uniform process. The drying process is carried out with the help of a compact block of units, which ensures uniform movement of air flows prepared by thermal equipment with simultaneous air dehumidification. cameras OIA3 are designed in such a way that the block of aggregates and the adjustable overlap form a wind tunnel for a uniform supply of air to the fish.
The logical control system constantly monitors the temperature in the body of the product (fish or meat) and the temperature in the chamber. This allows fast drying with low heat consumption. Depending on the product, size, weight, fat content, fish species) and the dimensions of the chamber, the drying time ranges from 18 hours (for example, pollock fillet) to 66 hours (medium-sized roach). In Vladivostok, using the technology of hot drying, we got red fish sticks ready in 12 hours.

In accordance with the requirements of the HACCP food safety system, the chamber is equipped with a process monitoring system with data archiving.

Drying time depends on:
— type of raw materials (fish, beef, pork, etc.);
- the size of raw materials: fish, fillets, straws;
— chamber loading density;
— given process parameters;
- as well as the quality of raw materials.

Individual solution - the possibility of using existing premises.
cameras OIA 3 can also be supplied in components, while the block of aggregates with overlapping and the control system are supplied without the actual chamber. Thus, the available space can be used. Equipment installation and commissioning are simple and fast.

Operating principle

- drying of raw materials by circulating air mass in a closed system with maintaining its temperature and humidity according to a given program. The technological process is controlled by the control controller.

This method makes it possible to obtain a given temperature of the raw material with a fairly high accuracy through the use of sensors introduced into the product. And most importantly, DO NOT let the fish overheat and, accordingly, the leakage of fat. The automation system will automatically turn on the cooling of products when the maximum temperature is reached. The logical control system constantly monitors the surface temperature of the product, as a result of which the surface temperature never exceeds the permissible value. In order to avoid overheating or overdrying of the product surface, the thermal effect is carried out cyclically. When the thermal action stops, the surface layers, having given off heat to the inner layers, cool down, and the temperature in the product evens out. As a result, the finished raw material has an optimal and uniform temperature.

Intelligent control system MP-200 (standard equipment), developed by the specialists of STROYAGROKOMPLEKT, will allow you not only to reliably and accurately control the drying process of any product, but also provide you with real-time information about the processes taking place in the drying chamber.

TECHNICAL DATA models up to 2 tons of loading

Appearance of the UVR 4 unit
An example based on a 2x4 row dryer and dimensions of 4.2x3.5 meters

Condenser (PREMIUM version) hot freon utilization system. Power 18 kW heat.
Evaporator (drier) with a moisture removal system for the drying chamber.
Circulation reversible fan with heating element system.
Reversible fan for mixing cold and hot air.
Electrical panel with built-in automatic control panel. It is placed at the request of the Customer in a place convenient for him.

Automatic control panel MP-1000(option or installed in PREMIUM version).

Control system OIA, computer panel MR-1000 is a constant and complete control of the process parameters with information displayed on the display.

40 programs with 30 technological steps each;
temperature control inside the chamber and in the product;
humidity control and management;
troubleshooting with output to the control panel with service information; the possibility of individual programming;
Ease of work with the control panel when programming the technological process and does not require special skills.
Possibility of programming from a personal computer.

To buy equipment for drying fish, go to the section

Legal aspects, equipment selection, assortment formation, premises requirements, production processes, sales. Complete financial calculations.

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* Calculations use average data for Russia

The fish processing business is one of the most profitable areas of work in the food industry. This is especially true now, since even in times of economic crisis, this industry is the least affected by market fluctuations. It is distinguished by relative stability (of course, such a business also depends on market conditions, but to a lesser extent than food production in general), as well as stable demand, which depends little on the season and the economic situation in the country. Consider the option of opening a small enterprise for the production of such types of products as dried fish (bream, pike, sabrefish, crucian carp, white bream, sopa, pike perch, roach, smelt, asp, roach, flounder, nelma) and different kinds maritime and freshwater fish hot and cold smoking.

Business features

If you do not have experience directly in the field of fish processing, then it is better to start with a mini-workshop for smoking and drying different types fish. In general, the process seems to be quite simple and includes three main stages: the purchase of raw materials (fresh or fresh-frozen fish), its processing and distribution through various outlets. The trade margin for such products is about 45-50%. The profitability of this business is quite high (from 30%), so all costs can be recouped within the first year of operation. To open a mini-workshop, it will take from 450 thousand rubles, and for a medium-sized enterprise - from 1 million rubles.

The Russian market of fish products is actively developing. Its annual growth is about 15%. Its volume in monetary terms is estimated at 16 billion dollars.

The premises for the fish shop and its equipment

Please note: the fish processing workshop must meet all the requirements that apply to food processing enterprises. The area of the premises for the workshop should be at least 100 square meters. meters. At the same time, according to the requirements of the Sanitary Service, it must be located at a distance of at least 300 meters from industrial enterprises and residential buildings. In addition, the room must be heated, cold and hot water must be supplied to it, a ventilation system must be installed, as well as an air conditioner. It is obligatory to have a system for washing containers, bactericidal lamps and an established sewage system. Do not forget about the need to equip locker rooms and separate bathrooms for staff.

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When looking for a room for a workshop, give preference to options that once housed a food production or catering establishment (for example, a canteen), since in this case you will not have to invest in major repairs. Since your business is directly related to food products, SES will control it. Every month, the sanitary service will take product samples from the stream for laboratory analysis. In addition, you will need to obtain permits from firefighters, the veterinary service, Rosprirodnadzor and Rostekhnadzor.

Whether to provide for the possibility of selling finished products directly from the workshop is up to you. But often this turns out to be inappropriate. The equipment of the store requires additional (and considerable) expenses, and the remoteness of the location of your workshop from residential buildings significantly limits purchasing activity.

Fish processing requires special equipment. First of all, you will need refrigerators for storing raw materials. Some use refrigerated sea containers, which are finished from the inside with food grade steel. Such a container is quite capacious and can be installed even on the street in order to save space. Finding it, however, is quite difficult and it is not cheap. You may have to deliver from another region, so add shipping costs to its cost. In addition, you will need a rack or bath for defrosting fish, a bath for washing raw materials, a technological table for cutting fish, knives and cutting boards, baths for salting products, smokehouses (cameras for smoking fish), drying chambers, a slicer for cutting finished products into even slices and its stacking in pallets, equipment for vacuum packaging of finished products, electronic thermal printing scales for weighing the finished product and printing labels, equipment for cleaning fish, removing bones, separating skin from meat, obtaining fillets, protective chain mail gloves and aprons that protect against cuts when handling a knife.

Fish processing technology

Fish processing is a rather complicated process from a technological point of view, which is carried out in several stages. Each of them requires special equipment and experienced specialists. Of course, now you can find a large amount of modern equipment and a description of new ways of processing fish. But for a small workshop, this is associated with unbearable costs. In addition, the most popular among both producers and consumers is the classic version of fish processing and processing.

A simplified flow diagram can be represented as follows: first, fresh or frozen fish is transferred to the fish receiving shop, and then to the storage chambers. They buy raw materials from wholesale companies with a mandatory quality check of each batch of fish upon acceptance of the goods. This is done by a qualified technologist, who must be able to correctly determine when the fish was caught and how long it has been stored.

Before the start of any production, raw materials undergo preliminary processing: the fish is sorted by weight and size, washed from mucus and butchered. Part of the fish at this stage can already be packaged and sold as a semi-finished product, and part is sent for further processing.

Let us consider in more detail the technology of drying fish. Curing is the process of slowly dehydrating pre-salted fish in a natural or artificial environment. As a result, complex biochemical processes occur. The taste and appearance of the product changes, and it can be eaten without additional cooking. Almost any fish is suitable for drying, but bold and fatty fish are the best raw materials for such processing. They are not only tastier, but also more profitable in production, since the percentage of mass in the process of their preparation is much lower than when processing less fatty fish. The ratio of protein and fat in fish meat for drying should be at least 0.8. If the raw material contains less fat, then it is better to use such fish for drying.

There are several types of fish semi-finished products for drying: whole, not gutted headless, gutted with a head, shaved (with removed gills), headless layer, layer with a head, half layer, back-balychok, sidebar. The type of processing depends on the size of the fish. For example, small fish can be dried uncut or with gills removed - roach, roach, ide, mackerel, horse mackerel, rudd, herring, perch, etc. But large fish are always undressed.

At the next stage, the fish is salted with dry or mixed salting to a salt content of at least 6% in the thickness of the meat. This may take about a week. Then the fish is soaked, which avoids the appearance on the surface of the finished product of the so-called brine - salt deposits. Depending on the size of the soaked pieces, the fish can be kept in clean water or a weak brine solution for several hours.

The fish prepared in this way is strung on metal rods with a distance between carcasses of 5-6 cm. In this case, the backs of the fish should be directed in one direction. For industrial production, fish is dried using special drying and drying chambers. In contrast to drying, during drying, under the action of its own enzymes and oxygen, hydrolytic decomposition of complex substances occurs in fish meat, as a result of which it becomes ready for use and acquires a recognizable taste and aroma. The finished product should have firm but soft meat and taste without signs of dampness. The moisture content in dried fish should not exceed 45-50%, and salt - up to 14%. Dried fish contains about 10% moisture.

Waste from fish processing is also processed into minced meat and fishmeal. Their implementation allows to increase the profitability of the shop.

Expenses and incomes of the shop for the production of smoked and dried fish

The biggest expense item is the purchase necessary equipment(especially the refrigerated container). Regular expenses include the rent of premises for the workshop, as well as wages for employees of the enterprise and deductions from it to various funds. In addition to the people who will work in production and the technologist, a laboratory assistant will also be required who will control the quality of products at all stages of its production. A license for the production of fish products is not required, but it will be necessary to issue certificates for each position, which is also associated with additional costs.

Ready-made ideas for your business

Finished products are sold through wholesale companies, various outlets and retail chains, markets, company stores (stalls), etc. The net profit of a small fish processing workshop is from 50 thousand rubles a month.

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Drying and drying seafood has become so popular that end consumers can choose from a variety of fish treats that are highly gastronomic and appealing. appearance. And you need to offer them something that is really tasty, safe and aesthetically pleasing in appearance. And we will help you with this!

Choose our reliable and professional fish curing and drying equipment to make your production profitable and successful. The site catalog contains more than 30 models of infrared fish dryers. After reviewing their characteristics, having studied the information in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section, you can buy the best one.

Which dryer should you choose?

We offer you three options for drying and drying fish products: chamber, cabinet, tunnel. Each of them works intermittently or constantly. And here the main thing is not to make a mistake in the choice. Since it is better for small businesses to order equipment with lower power consumption, smaller camera volume.

For large enterprises, we recommend choosing tunnel-type installations. Their main advantage is high performance. High-power models of equipment allow drying up to 1 ton of products per day. For example, in it you can dry fish of any size on special carts or by hanging products vertically.

True, for its use, the room must be spacious and with high ceilings (over 3 m). The ambient temperature should be in the range of 10-30 ° C, and the air humidity should be low. Otherwise, there are no special requirements for the premises in which the operation of tunnel fish dryers is planned.

What to look for when buying?

When choosing a drying chamber for fish, consider the following parameters:

Type of fuel. We produce equipment that freely runs on any type of fuel. Therefore, you can choose the one that will allow you to organize cost-effective production. For example, oil products or wood waste (pellets), natural gas or electricity.

Installation size. If the room allows, you can choose a large-sized dryer. This will increase the productivity of the business up to 200-1000 kg per day, which means increasing the turnover and profitability of the business.

Internal volume of the chamber. The external parameters of the fish dryer are important, but it is also worth considering the internal volume of the working chamber. The larger it is, the more fish will fit in it. Moreover, it will be possible to dry it whole or in the form of steaks.

Equipment power. The more powerful the drying for drying seafood, the faster the whole production process will be. Especially if the fish is big. It is beneficial for you if the company has a high turnover or it is planned to increase the volume of output.

It is better, of course, to entrust the selection of a drying chamber for fish to our specialists. Taking into account the specifics of your production and the scale of work, they will recommend the best model of the dryer or develop an installation with a new package individually for you. Contact us!

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