# A Multidisciplinary Approach for Improving Resource Efficiency in the Indian Surimi Supply Chain
## 3 Synthesis of Key ReValue Results
### Cold Chain Management  
Surimi is a product highly dependent on the cold chain because it deteriorates quickly if not chilled or frozen. Previously, it was found that much of the value degradation in the Indian surimi industry was in the post-harvest phase [29]. Recent studies demonstrate that this is still the case. Various fish species are caught from motorized boats, mainly in the Arabian Sea, and brought to land-based surimi processing plants. Fish are transported in crates together with crushed ice to keep the temperature low and the catch preserved. A fishing trip usually lasts 10 days, so the ice, which is brought from land, must last for the entire trip. The fish are weighed and packed in new ice crates at the dock, sometimes also processed (manually headed and gutted), and transported to the surimi processing plant. In ReValue project, several critical factors for the maintenance of fish quality were identified, which included fragmented ownerships, fishing area identification, fishing boat and its capacity, longer boat unloading time, absence of real-time information sharing, visual inspections of fish quality at various stages, non-standard cold chain, lack of temperature measurement system, and many manual touch-points and location of operations. ReValue found that the supply chain in India suffers from longer production times and a lack of proper technology implementation. It was also found that over 20% of fish is lost due to outdated ice storage boxes onboard fishers' boats in India. This study found that the existing surimi supply chain needs to be improved to eliminate or minimise the waste for its enhancement. This is not only important for ensuring a good quality of the surimi products, but also for the RRM, which is described in Section 3.2. The surimi storage temperature and energy use need to be optimised for both product quality and profit. These findings are further elaborated in the various research papers and reports linked to ReValue [30; 31; 32; 33]. With its vast coastline and abundance of natural resources and fish, India has great potential to prosper in the seafood industry. Since 90% of India's exported seafood is in frozen form, a study suggests that the straightforward answer to improving sales is upgrading current cold chain technologies, which would require government investment [34]. However, others suggest it is not as simple to buy this technology for all fishers in India, as it is a fragmented business market [24], and the costs would be high. A refrigeration system is an important part of the cold chain. Refrigeration is used for producing ice which the fishing vessels use for chilling fish. Refrigeration is also used for chilling wash water during surimi production and freezing of the surimi blocks. In ReValue, a simulation of vapor absorption refrigeration system for fishing boats in India was conducted, where the system would use heat from the boat engine, as presented in Figure 3. The boat would still carry ice, but the absorption system would be used to compensate for the heat ingress, preventing the ice from melting and thereby keeping the fish cold for the entire journey. It was found that the cost of this refrigeration system would be a little under $7000 USD, which could be paid back in under two years due to the profit gained from unspoiled fish. Simulation and modelling of a cascade refrigeration system (CRS) for fish processing plants was also undertaken in ReValue. Schematic diagrams are shown in Figure 4, including both baseline ammonia system and a CRS. Industrial chilling and freezing of fish are conducted at different temperature levels, and the CRS was adjusted to suit this. The leakage of working media (refrigerant) in the refrigeration system cannot be prevented in industrial systems, so it is necessary to use refrigerants with no or very low global warming potential. Ammonia has zero global warming potential but can be dangerous if it leaks. Skilled operators and safety measures are always required for those systems.