NIFS announced that it won the Korea Invention Promotion Association (KIPA) President’s Award at the 2025 Korea Invention Patent Exhibition (KINPEX)* held at COEX in Seoul on December 3. NIFS received the Award for its ‘technology to remove fishy smell and prevent lipid rancidity’. 

*KINPEX is hosted by the Ministry of Intellectual Property and organized by the Korea Invention Promotion Association. The event is held to discover, display, and reward excellent inventions in Korea, explore markets for excellent patented products, and promote the commercialization of patented technology. 

NIFS developed the processing technology* which applies low salinity carbonated water washing to fish  to generate the effect of bacterial growth inhibition, prolonged freshness, and fishy smell removal. The Award was an official recognition of economic and technical feasibility that the processing technology has in that it can be easily applied to the processing factories regardless of the facility size or production process. 

*Method for remove a fishy smell and the lipid rancidity prevention on mackerel and spanish mackerel using low salinity carbonated water and jujube extract (Registration No.10-1647778) 

In addition, the technology to remove fishy smell allowed seafood products to come in many forms such as mackerel cheese stick, spanish mackerel cutlet, etc., which contributed to revitalizing seafood consumption and the growth of seafood industry. Up until now NIFS signed 24 technical transfer agreements with seafood industries including Pulmuone, Large Purse Seine Fisheries Cooperatives, etc.,  achieving success in commercializing the technology, too.

NIFS president said, “I hope our excellent patented technologies to be widely utilized. Going forward, we will do our best efforts to contribute to bolstering national industries and economy through the development and provision of necessary and practical technologies.”