ARKHANGELSK, February 8. /TASS/. Scientists working at the Russian Arctic Scientific and Educational Center made food products of starry skates, enriched with chondroitin sulfates. Normally, starry skates are by-caught along with, for example, codfish, and are not processed, Yulia Shokina of the Murmansk State Technical University told a roundtable on Arctic biology resources processing.
Chondroitin sulfates are substances that are specific components of cartilage. They are produced by the joints' cartilage tissue. They are a part of the synovial fluid and various chondroprotective agents.
"We pay great attention to using the aquatic biological resources of the Northern Basin whenever possible in the development of enriched and functional food products," she said. "When developing technologies for making functional and enriched products, we solve both the problems of complex use and of processing. We have studied the chemical composition, amino acid composition, determined the exact content of chondroitin sulfate in the starry skate muscle tissue in the fins, and consequently we have developed a line of products."
Starry skate (Raja radiata) is by-caught along with bottom fish, such as cod and haddock. According to the expert, the share of skate in the fishing net may reach 40% or more. Another by-catch is, for example, halibut, but this fish is well known to consumers, as it is being processed. Unlike halibut, for Russian consumers, skate is an unusual fish, it is practically not used, although, for example, in southern European countries, its fins are a delicacy.
Besides that, skate is a cartilaginous fish, characterized by a high content of urea in the muscles, which gives it a specific smell. Scientists have managed to cope with this. "The canned variant has turned out to be excellent, rather tasty," the scientist noted. "The share of chondroitin sulfate in the products is quite high and meets the requirements of at least 15% and no more than 50% of the recommended daily intake."
Kelp products
The scientists have also developed a wide range of food products enriched with iodine, with dried kelp. For several years before this result, they studied algae in cooperation with the Norwegian National University of Technology (Trondheim) - compared the content of various substances in artificially grown Norwegian algae with the algae of the White Sea and the Far East's seas. "Due to the political situation <...> at a certain stage we had to replace the Norwegian kelp with the Arkhangelsk kelp," the expert said.
Among the food products there are several types of loaves, jam with cranberries and kelp, marmalade, candied fruits, iodine-enriched kelp of the White Sea. The developers still need to see how well iodine remains in the products within the shelf life, and how much of it remains by the shelf life end.
The scientists have developed a number of products from blue catfish, which is also a by-catch and is practically not used. The share of water in its muscle tissue is up to 90%. The experts offer ready-made products made under the shock freezing technology, which are also enriched with iodine. Catfish souffle with vegetables and pate sausage can be stored from 30 to 60 days, and the scientists continue works to validate the shelf life term.
Another food product to use catfish is cream fish cheese. "An interesting product. Excess water is separated, and the minced meat is combined with melted cheese. Added kelp powder enriches the product with iodine," the scientist said. "The segment of these products helps fish processing enterprises to solve the problem of integrated processing." Several types of creams are also at the stage of confirming expiration dates, she added.
About scientific center
In December, 2020, the Russian government supported the establishment of the Russian Arctic Scientific and Educational Center. The Center unites experts from the Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and Nenets regions. The Center is aimed at use of new technological projects, introducing new materials and technologies, as well as conducting research that ensures competitiveness and world-class research and development. Another task is to train personnel to solve major scientific and technological problems in the region in the interests of the Russian Arctic zone's industry and economy.