Salmon spray can extend life of fillets by 50%

A start-up company in Chile has developed a spray-on product that can extend the useful life of fresh salmon fillets by 50%, maintaining flavour, colour, and texture even if there are problems in the cold chain when the fillets are transported.

The product, called Innovai-Uno, is based on FishExtend technology developed by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Engineering of the Catholic University of Chile, led by scientists Loreto Valenzuela, Ricardo Pérez, and Wendy Franco.

Innovai-Uno is an emulsion with bioactive microparticles that are gradually released upon contact with the salmon fillet, performing three fundamental actions:

• Antimicrobial (bactericidal and bacteriostatic): Eliminates undesirable bacteria and limits their future growth.
• Antioxidant: Preserves the pigment and original colour of the salmon over time.
• Moisture retention: Creates a natural layer that maintains the moisture and freshness of the fish, preserving its flavour, texture, and appearance.

Additionally, trials show that this technology can extend the shelf life of salmon fillets to up to nine days in controlled conditions, and four to six days in adverse situations, which contributes significantly to the reduction of food waste.

Shielding for salmon

Innovai-Uno is being developed by Innovai, a start-up from The Ganesha Lab portfolio. Santiago-based Ganesha Lab is a business accelerator for science and technology-based start-ups in Latin America. Its partners include Agrosuper, owner of Chile’s biggest salmon farmer, AquaChile.

José Miguel Figueroa, founder and chief executive of Innovai, said: “The salmon industry faces uncontrollable challenges, such as, for example, temperature variations. Our idea was to provide the salmon fillet with a kind of shielding that protects it against these changes. The results have exceeded our expectations, improving the shelf life, sensory quality, and flavour of the product, keeping it fresh.”

Currently, Innovai's product is at a 90% scalability stage, which involves validation in relevant environmental conditions and subsequent necessary adjustments before large-scale production. The company’s initial objective is to market the product in Chile and the United States, and it has long-term plans to expand to Norway once it obtains regulatory permits from the European Union.