Emart Sells Indoor Cool Air-Dried 'Haetgulbi' Ensuring Hygiene and Taste

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Emart announced that from the 19th to the 25th, for one week, it will sell a 10-fish bundle of dried yellow corvina (gulbi) caught and dried from August to October this year for 8,200 won after a 6,600 won discount when accumulating Shinsegae points.

The ‘fresh gulbi’ is caught in the seas of Jeju, Yeosu, and Mokpo and immediately dried indoors using cold air. Emart introduced indoor cold air drying of gulbi to enhance the hygiene of ‘naturally dried foods’ affected by fine dust and to secure a ‘stable’ supply of the product.

Especially this year, due to the long rainy season and consecutive typhoons making gulbi drying difficult, indoor cold air drying was actively adopted. Indoor drying of gulbi means drying the fish not by natural wind in outdoor facilities but by artificial wind between 18°C and 23°C in an indoor space isolated from the outside.

The production takes place in a sealed workspace with strict personal hygiene management. From production to drying and packaging, the process is completely isolated from the outside.

By stabilizing supply through indoor cold air drying, prices were drastically lowered. When naturally dried by sea breeze, the drying period varies depending on weather conditions, affecting production volume. Indoor drying allows production regardless of external weather, enabling pre-contracting of volume and significantly reducing prices.

The original taste of gulbi is preserved through greenhouse drying and the ‘Seopgan’ method. Generally, outdoor natural wind facilities dry gulbi for more than half a day, but in cold air facilities, drying is completed in two hours.

Rapid drying prevents the flesh from hardening, allowing consumers to enjoy the chewy and savory taste of gulbi, with lower salinity than sea breeze drying. Additionally, the ‘Seopgan method,’ which seasons the gills using domestically produced sun-dried salt aged for over three years, enhances the chewy texture and original flavor of the gulbi.

The reason Emart offers indoor dried gulbi at an affordable price is due to the growing demand for seafood ingredients as home-cooked meal culture becomes established.

In fact, from January to October this year, sales of seafood used as side dishes increased significantly: gulbi by 8.9%, Spanish mackerel by 16.5%, mackerel by 13.7%, and flatfish by 3.2%.

Kim Seulgi, Emart’s seafood buyer, said, “We secured supply of the representative ‘rice thief’ gulbi through indoor cold air drying, preparing it more safely and affordably,” and added, “We will continue to develop frozen seafood using new drying technologies and introduce various fish species to strengthen Emart’s differentiated grocery competitiveness.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.