An evaluation of the suitability of Pangasius hypophthalmus for smoke-drying: Assessment of its nutritional quality and safety.

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate the suitabilityof Pangasius as a raw material for smoke drying. Inthe present study, smoke drying was done similarto the methods followed by traditional fishermenbut the experiments were conducted in controlledconditions in laboratory. Pangasius was hot smokedat 80°C for 3 hours, followed by mechanical dryingat 60°C. The prepared product was cooled andquality of the product was evaluated using proxi-mate composition, physicochemical parameters,benzopyrene content, microbial enumeration, analy-sis of fatty acids, analysis of amino acids andsensory evaluation. It was observed that themoisture content of smoked-dried Pangasius wasbelow 15%. A decrease in pH to 5.96 and an increasein Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen (TVBN) to 24.45 mgN/100g was observed in smoked-dried Pangasius.After smoke-drying, the Peroxide Value (PV),Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS)and Free Fatty Acids (FFA) has increased to 2.98 meqO2/kg fat, 1.35 mg MDA/kg fat and 1.29% oleic acidrespectively. Total Viable Count (TVC) andStaplylococcus spp. were within the acceptable limit.Saturated fatty acids increased during smoke dryingwith palmitic acid dominating others. Among aminoacids, glutamic acid, lysine and aspartic acid weredominant. The benzopyrene content of smoked-Fishery Technology 59 (2022) : 259 - 269dried Pangasius was observed to be 7 ppb. From theresults, it was observed that the quality parametersof smoked-dried Pangasius were within the limit ofacceptability with good sensory scores suggestingits acceptance. Hence, it was concluded that smoke-drying can be used as a method for preservingPangasius by controlling the benzopyrene concen-tration in smoke during processing.