Seeing the effectiveness of fish sauce processing technology using solar energy, Mr. Le Van Loi invested more than 2 billion VND to implement it.
In early August, 15 anchovy tanks (fish sauce salt tanks) were filled with anchovies by Mr. Le Van Loi, Tam Thanh Commune, Tam Ky City. Unlike the traditional method of salting, he uses solar energy technology and an automatic stirring system. He is the first person in Quang Nam to apply this technology to fish sauce production.
Mr. Le Van Loi, Director of Cat Trang Agricultural and Service Cooperative, checks the salt tank. Photo: Dac Thanh
Born into a family that has been making fish sauce for over 100 years in Tam Thanh commune. Mr. Loi’s father’s generation put fish in earthenware, clay, and cement tanks and salted them regularly. After 15 months of salting to collect fish sauce, people filtered it through cloth, which was time-consuming and unhygienic.
In 2021, Mr. Loi learned that the Ha Tinh Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances had researched and perfected solar energy technology and an automatic stirring system to improve the efficiency of traditional fish sauce production.
After researching, he established the Cat Trang Agricultural and Service Business Cooperative. The cooperative was assigned by the Department of Science and Technology of Quang Nam to implement the project “Transferring and applying scientific and technological advances to promote socio-economic development in rural and mountainous areas and building new rural areas”.
In addition to state support, Mr. Loi invested more than 1 billion VND to purchase equipment and product extraction and packaging lines, while processing techniques were transferred by the Ha Tinh Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances.
The fish salting system, covering nearly 1,000 square meters, was built in his garden. Anchovies are caught from the sea and mixed with salt in a fermentation tank. Compared to the traditional method of salting three fish for one salt, with this technology the ratio is four fish for one salt. Each tank is connected to a pipeline system so that the fish sauce circulates through a water heater that maintains 40 degrees Celsius using solar energy.
Anchovies mixed with salt with four anchovies one salt. Photo: Dac Thanh
During the salting process, fish sauce flows from the tank through a continuous hot water system. This helps to increase the temperature evenly in the tank and increase the contact surface between the enzyme system and microorganisms with the salted fish in the tank. They are stirred automatically without human effort. The heating system is highly stable, overcoming difficulties caused by the weather.
The owner of the establishment said that in the past, fish sauce was salted in small containers and covered tightly. To make the fish sauce even and delicious, people had to stir it frequently in the sun when they opened the lid. This method was laborious and unhygienic, and insects often flew in.
“Since applying this technology to production, it has become much more convenient. They are stirred automatically and completely closed without the need for human labor. The production process does not depend on the weather, there is no need to open the tank lid to dry in the sun, and there is no need to worry about covering the lid when it rains,” said Mr. Loi, adding that the amount of salted fish is very large. Each tank contains more than 2.5 tons of fish, while each tank can hold several hundred kilograms of fish when salted manually.
The automatic packaging line was invested by Mr. Loi. Photo: Dac Thanh
According to Mr. Loi, the new technology helps the cooperative save production space and factory, ensure food safety and hygiene, and does not cause pollution or impact the environment such as the characteristic smell of fish sauce. The salting process is closed, without opening the lid to evaporate.
“Compared to traditional technology, this technology shortens the salting time. Traditional methods take 15-17 months to collect fish sauce, but this technology can collect it in 8-10 months, shortening the time by almost half. The amount of fish sauce collected increases by more than 20% compared to traditional methods and the color is more beautiful,” he said. On average, 1 ton of fish produces 750 liters of fish sauce, while with the traditional method, 1 ton of fish produces about 650 liters of fish sauce.
Applying new technology, each year Mr. Loi harvests more than 20,000 liters, selling for 80,000 – 110,000 VND/liter. The cooperative’s products are recognized as 4-star OCOP.