Preserving Freshness with Precision: Inside Our Multi-Stage Ice Slurry Process.
At Kumbatia Seafood, we’re committed to delivering seafood as fresh as the moment it was caught. One of the key ways we achieve this is through our ice slurry process, a carefully controlled multi-stage system that ensures our fish meets the highest standards for quality and freshness.
So, what makes an ice slurry so effective? Unlike traditional ice, ice slurry is made of tiny ice micro-crystals suspended in seawater. This unique phase-changing mixture not only cools fish quickly but does so evenly, preserving texture and flavor. Here’s how our process works:
1. Initial Cooling:
Once the fish is gutted and cleaned immediately post-harvest, it’s placed in a specially prepared ice slurry of ice flakes and seawater at a 2:1 ratio. By submerging the fish headfirst, the slurry flows into the gill cavity, rapidly cooling the inner body temperature. This first phase is crucial to maintaining quality from the inside out.
2. Temperature Monitoring:
When fish arrives at the landing site, we use a probe thermometer to ensure the fish has been handled properly at sea by doing a randomized core internal temperature check for certain pieces, ensuring it is somewhere between 0°C - 5°C. We also inspect to ensure the fish is fully submerged and belly down, maintaining complete contact with the slurry as it is transported from land to sea.
3. Deep Chill Phase:
Upon arrival, the fish is transferred into a second slurry where it stays for 8 hours. Coarse salt is added to the mixture, further lowering the freezing point and extending the chilling effect. This step brings the core temperature down to a standard range of 0°C - 2°C making it ready for transport to our partner fish plant.
4. Final Preparation for Transport:
Once the fish reaches the ideal temperature, it’s packed in ice flakes within cooler boxes, ready for transport to our processing facility. This continuous cold chain from ocean to shore ensures that nearly every fish arrives in pristine condition, ready for export. Learn more about our commitment to quality at kumbatiaseafood.com.
