Fish industry: complete guide to choose washing solutions

Every year, about 50,000 annual people get food poisoning from contaminated fish around the world. Alarming as it may sound, official data are likely shy of actual figures, as most occurrences are not recognized or reported. Fish, and for that matter shellfish, may contain poisonous biotoxins while maintaining their original appearance, smell, and taste. These toxins can survive even high cooking temperatures.

Industrial washing plays a decisive role in food safety. It prevents cross-contamination and guarantees food safety. The question is how to choose the right equipment for each use case. This is how to pick a machine that guarantees a hygienic and safe production environment in your fish business.

What is an industrial washing machine?

An industrial washing machine is an equipment designed to wash and sanitize fish production and packaging. It does so efficiently and on an industrial scale, removing residues, guaranteeing product quality and food safety.

These machines sanitize large volumes of utensils in a short time, cutting washing lead-time. They also avoid cross-contamination from different batches of fish. Eviscerators, trim removal machines, and peelers need to be thoroughly sanitized for safe consumption. So do flakers, bone extractors, filleting machines and slicers.

In short, industrial washing machines have a decisive impact on quality, safety and compliance. They ensure safe fish reaches consumers, while increasing production efficiency and reducing waste. But there are plenty of other advantages for the fish industry.

What are the advantages of a washing machine for the fish industry?

A washing machine offers several significant advantages for any fish business. These are the main ones.

1. Greater efficiency and productivity

One of the key advantages of a washing machine is its ability to increase the company’s efficiency and productivity. The machines handle large volumes of utensils with short cycles, increasing the productivity of any production line. By automating the washing process, employees can focus on other, value-added tasks, such as quality inspection, packaging and distribution.

2. Perform deep cleaning

Industrial washing machines control the main washing parameters, such as temperature and detergent. Therefore, they ensure a more effective and safer sanitization as compared with manual washing. This makes it possible to eliminate bacteria and pathogens, minimizing the risk of food-borne illnesses and increasing the product’s shelf life.

3. Reduce cross-contamination

Avoiding cross-contamination is one of the fish industry’s main challenges. Industrial washing machines are designed to minimize human contact with the products during washing, thus avoiding contamination from improper handling. With the MultiWasher, washing takes place in a closed cabin. As a result, you have a better control over the cleaning environment and prevent the spread of microorganisms.

4. Standardize the process

Industrial washing machines drive standardization. This is especially important for utensils that come in contact with fish. High degrees of standardization minimize process variations, providing uniform, consistent and reliable results. In addition, automation enables precise adjustments, guaranteeing quality control, under the standards set by the company and government.

5. Improve sustainability

Sustainability is another important advantage of washing machines in the fish processing industry. Since washing is more efficient and controlled, the process requires less water, energy and detergent, thus avoiding waste. The MultiWasher’s filtering and reuse systems reduce water consumption and automatically control other parameters to ensure that only the right amount is used. In the long term, it helps fish businesses reduce their environmental footprint, save resources and costs. 

How to pick a washing machine that suits your fish business?

To ensure that the washing machine adapts to your company, it is important to consider several aspects, from size to speed and maintenance needs.

1. Machine size and capacity

Choosing the size and capacity of an industrial washing machine is a delicate balancing act. Overcapacity leads to wasted resources at every wash. Too little, on the other hand, leads to production bottlenecks and expansions constraints in the long term.

At Somengil, we study each customer’s workflow before proposing an industrial washing solution. This way, our customers get a machine with bespoke size and capacity, to suit their operators and processes.

2. Production process integration

Industrial washing machine must integrate with the steps of the fish production process, such as cutting, filleting and packaging. Synchronization is essential to ensure a continuous and efficient workflow.

The position of the machine within the layout must be carefully thought out, so that it is easily accessible and connected to the previous and subsequent stages of the process. The washing cycle must also have the ideal length so as not to delay the surrounding stages or compromise results.

3. Ease of operation and maintenance

As with any equipment, washing machines must be intuitive and safe for employees to operate. Controls and procedures must be simple enough so that new operators can get onboard quickly and reduce human error.

4. Energy and resource efficiency

Sustainability is a key principle that should guide the choice of an industrial washing machine. By prioritizing efficiency, waste reduction and compliance with environmental standards, fish businesses prove their commitment to responsible production. Besides the obvious financial advantages, this focus strengthens the reputation in the market and contributes to the preservation of natural resources for future generations.

5. Support and technical assistance

A reliable supplier should ensure adequate technical assistance. From the initial installation study, through the initial machine configurations to integration into the production line, support is key to use the machine efficiently and safely.

MultiWasher, fish industry experts

MultiWasher helps fish businesses achieve high levels of food safety, from production or export. The equipment used in fish processing needs to be perfectly washed, but given its size and characteristics, the process can be challenging. This is the case with eviscerating machines, trim removal equipment, peelers, flakers, bone extractors or filleting machines, which can be washed at MultiWasher with impeccable results. But the advantages don’t stop there. They also include:

• Saving water, energy, detergent, labor and time;
• Flawless sanitization of all types of utensils and objects used in fish processing, such as trays, transport boxes, cutting and processing tools, containers, or packaging, among others;
• Skipping pre-washing;
• Using utensils as soon as they come out of the machine, perfectly sanitized and dry;
• Decarbonizing effortlessly and with unprecedented efficiency.

Book a webinar to see the machine in action. Our experts can provide a custom proposal, tailored to your facilities and workflow. Contact us and start seeing results now.