Stage 1 “Onshore Harvesting of Brine Shrimp Cysts”
The manual harvesting is carried out by a team of 5-10 persons from the shore of the lake using netting and with subsequent packaging of raw materials in polypropylene bags.
Stage 2 “Salt Washing”
The first stage of the technological process of processing the Artemia cysts is salt washing, designed to clean the Artemia cysts from foreign impurities and sand. The salt washing is carried out in the receiving bubbling container and wash tanks, followed by the discharge of cysts onto vibrating screens to separate impurities and brines.
Stage 3 “Temperature Activation”
After salt washing, the cysts in bags are sent to the warehouse — a refrigerator, where they go through the next technological stage — the temperature activation in order to complete the diapause stage. The optimum temperature activation mode is 4–10 ºC; the duration of the temperature activation is 90 — 180 days.
Stage 4 “Drying”
The drying process of Artemia cysts is carried out in fluidized bed furnaces. Before loading into the furnace, Artemia cysts are subject to fresh water washing and hydroextracting. The drying process takes 5-6 hours. When the initial water content of raw cysts is 45-50%, the final water content of dry cysts is 6 — 8%.
Stage 5 “Packing and Shipment of Products”
The packing of finished products is carried out in vacuum bags or metal cans per 0.5 kg, foil bags per 50, 100 and 500 g. Raw products are packed in polypropylene bags with weight from 45 kg to 50 kg and labeled according to the washing batches.
The packaging and packing are agreed upon individually.
The order is packaged within 7-20 days (depending on the batch volume) from the moment of advance payment; when shipped outside Russia, we shall receive an export permit within 15 days and an export license within 30 days. The customs clearance takes 1 day; the total readiness for shipment is from 1 week (in Russia) and up to 60 days (abroad).
The shipment of finished products is carried out, as a rule, in refrigerated trucks to seaports in Saint Petersburg or Vladivostok or by air from Barnaul or Novosibirsk to the Customer’s terminal. The delivery in Russia is made by pick-up and transport company.
Quality Control
All technological stages of the harvesting and processing of Artemia cysts are accompanied by quality analyzes of raw materials and finished products for each batch of harvesting, salt washing and drying.
The following quality indicators are analyzed: the presence of foreign impurities, purity, water content, hatching (viability) index.
The biological and radiological control is carried out during the pre-sale preparation.