What is the glaze?

Ice glaze is a unique protection net for frozen fish and seafood. In essence, it’s a thin layer of ice, which, with the use of modern technology, embraces the product permanently and firmly. It allows the product to maintain its freshness until its expiration date and be more affordable than fresh.

Thanks to glaze, frozen fish maintain all the characteristics of the fresh product and for quite a long time. Ice glaze plays a triple role in the protection of the nutritional value and freshness of the fish that will reach our table.

As we very well know, fish are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, thus they are excellent for human health. However, fatty acids easily get oxidized. Ice glaze protects the flesh of the fish from the oxidation of their fats, caused by their prolonged contact with air.

On the other hand, ice glaze protects fish from dehydration and ensures their freshness. Dehydration is yet another factor degrading the quality of frozen fish, since they lose their natural moistness and texture.

Finally, ice glaze serves as insulation when the frozen product is off the freezer. Thus, when you carry the frozen product from the super market to home, the ice glaze serves as insulation that prevents the fish from being thawed. Due to the ice glaze that absorbs the external temperature, the frozen product defrosts quite slowly (thermal capacity of the water).

The use of ice glaze on packaged frozen fish is allowed in Greece, while according to Market Decree 7/2009, Article 101, companies are required to state on the packaging the weight of the product with glaze (Gross Weight) and without it (Net Weight). For bulk frozen fish, the percentage of ice glaze should be up to 10% for a whole fish and up to 15% for other types (mollusks, crustaceans), but also for steaks and fillets.