Proximate Composition and sensory Evaluation of Auchenoglanis occidentalis smoked in a New Developed Fish Smoking Kiln in Nigeria.

Abstract

Fish drying is a popular method of processing fish in Nigeria. Nature has endowed Benue state with one of the two major rivers in Nigeria – River Benue. With this river and other minor rivers inclusive, fish business is very prominent and fish smoking operations are mostly carried out manually and under unhygienic conditions. The concept of the new developed fish smoking kiln is to ease the drudgery associated with traditional methods ( mud oven and open drum smoking) in the riverside communities. In this study, a simple and relatively cheap new fish smoking kiln was designed, fabricated with locally available materials. This new developed kiln uses charcoal as heat source. The performance test was conducted to ascertain its performance. Auchenoglanis occidentalis was used for the performance evaluation. The result showed that moisture content was reduced from 100% to 53.1% within an average smoking time of 15.3hrs. The proximate analysis showed an increase in protein, while fat, moisture and ash reduced after smoking. Sensory evaluation showed that the product from this new developed kiln was liked and cherished by the populace.