Fully Intact Fish Freezing with Frozen Slime Coating to Avoid Gutting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional fish preservation methods require gutting and beheading, increasing costs and reducing flexibility, while also exposing fish to environmental moisture that can compromise quality.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for processing fully intact fish by transporting them to a floating vessel where they are weighed, sorted, and frozen with a layer of frozen slime formed on their skin using an ultra-low air temperature region, avoiding the need for gutting and beheading, and utilizing an ice slurry mix for thermal storage and preservation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional gutting and beheading methods are used, then fish can be preserved for safe consumption, but processing costs increase and flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafe consumptionVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by forming a frozen slime coating on the fish skin before freezing. This pre-treatment creates a protective barrier that prevents moisture incursion during storage, eliminating the need for subsequent gutting and beheading operations while ensuring safe preservation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the essential protective function from the traditional gutting and beheading process. By applying a frozen slime coating, the patent isolates the fish internal organs from moisture exposure without requiring physical removal, thereby simplifying the processing while maintaining safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If traditional gutting and beheading are performed, then fish preservation is achieved, but processing time and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepreservation effectivenessVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The frozen slime coating is applied as a preliminary step before freezing, creating immediate protection against moisture incursion. This pre-treatment eliminates the need for time-consuming gutting and beheading operations, significantly reducing total processing time while maintaining preservation effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of manufacture

If fish are exposed to environmental moisture during traditional processing, then processing is simplified, but fish quality is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing simplicityVSAvoidmoisture incursion

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The frozen slime coating acts as an intermediary layer between the fish skin and the external environment. This coating barrier prevents moisture incursion while allowing the fish to remain fully intact, simplifying processing by eliminating the need for gutting and beheading operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of moisture exposure into a benefit by using frozen slime as a protective barrier. The freezing process that would normally cause quality degradation is instead used to create a protective coating that prevents moisture incursion and maintains fish quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

4Reliability

If ultra-low temperature freezing is used on intact fish, then preservation quality is maintained, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepreservation qualityVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The frozen slime coating is applied before ultra-low temperature freezing, creating a protective barrier that reduces moisture incursion during storage. This pre-treatment allows for more efficient freezing operations and reduces the total energy required for long-term preservation by preventing quality degradation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach allows for safe preservation of fish without gutting or beheading, maintaining quality and reducing costs by preventing moisture incursion and enabling flexible processing, while effectively freezing the fish to maintain texture and quality.

Implementation Method 1

forming a layer of frozen slime on an outer surface of skin of the fully intact fish

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFreezing: Freezing

Implementation Method 2

freezing the fully intact fish by moving the fully intact fish through an ultra-low air temperature region

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFreezing: Freezing

Implementation Method 3

utilizing an ice slurry mix for thermal storage and preservation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal energy storage: Thermal Energy Storage

Data Source

PatentUS10624374B2Methods and apparatuses for freezing fish

Publication Date: 2020.04.21 SAYAK LOGISTICS LLC

AI summary

A method for processing fish can include transporting fully intact fish to a floating vessel, at least one of weighing and sorting the fully intact fish, forming a layer of frozen slime on an outer surface of skin of the fully intact fish, and freezing the fully intact fish by moving the fully intact fish through an ultra-low air temperature region. Related systems and apparatuses are also provided.