Effect of fuel wood type on the quality of smoked fish - Chrysichthys auratus

Abstract

The effects of wood fuel from four trees, Terminalia avicennoides. Anogeissus leiocarpus. Combretum ghasalense and Pterocarpus erinaceus, on the quality of smoked Chrysichthys auratus were assessed by evaluating the chemical and microbiological quality of the smoked fish samples. Proximate analysis for the major nutritional constituents of fish muscle yielded an average of 50.6 per cent protein. 23 per cent fat, and 14.5 per cent ash. The results confirmed that the smoked fish samples were of good nutritional quality. They were good sources of calcium and iron. However, fat levels were high, and may cause rancidity problems within a short period of storage. The moisture content (average 10.6 %) was low enough to present little deterioration problems under controlled storage conditions. Microbial populations decreased considerably during smoking, but were not completely eliminated. Staphylococcus sp. and Salmonella sp. were absent in all the smoked fish samples. The smoking process was, therefore, effective in improving 'the microbial qualityof the smoked fish