Making kippers from local herring (Sardinella spp.) smoke-cured in the Torry Kiln

(Sardinella) are available all year round in Sierra Leone. The best time to use them for baiting herrings is during the dry season when they are fattest and feeding well. The most common method of processing herring locally is hot smoking to give either soft, moist and cooked product or a dry, brittle product with very low moisture content. The author describes a curing method intended to add variety to the types of products that can be obtained from local herring. It is only mildly preservative, the product cannot be kept more than 24 hours without refrigeration. Particular attention is paid to the source and quality of the raw material used, and the processing method is detailed with attention to washing, splitting, brining, smoking, and the application of the Torry fish smoking kiln to the process.

A survey of the quality of salt cured fish produced in the Kanyakumari Disrict [i.e. District], Madras State

A survey of the quality of salt cured fish in Kanyakumari District, Madras State was done during the years 1963 and 1964 to obtain necessary basic information to formulate quality standards for these products which are gaining importance in the export trade. 155 trade samples of sun-dried, dry-salted, wet-cured and pit-cured fishery products were examined for their chemical quality and organoleptic characteristics. 26.5% of the sun-dried products, 25% of the wet cured fish, 55.21% of the dried salted products and none of the pit cured samples were found to be good in quality. The sun dried products were generally found to have heavy admixture of sand and were inadequately dried. The chief defects in the salt cured fish products were found to be the use of spoiled fish, imperfect cleaning and washing, use of impure salt, inadequate salting, curing and drying, and unhygienic conditions in all stages. Quality standards must be formulated for each variety of salt cured fish product and adequate measures taken to rectify the defects and enforce the quality standards.

Measurement of moisture in dry cured fish by infrared irradiation

Heating conditions have been standardised for measurement of moisture in dry cured fish using infrared irradiation source of 150w. Results obtained are comparable to those obtained from standard air oven method (drying to a constant weight at l02°c), the mean deviation being less than two units. The method works equally well for fresh fish muscle.

Preparation of smoke cured fillets from oil sardine

A method of preparation of smoke cured fillets of oil sardine is described. Various procedural steps like brining, smoking, packaging etc. have been described and the shelf life assessed. Sodium propionate treatment is recommended to enhance storage life; BHA to control rancidity; and thermal treatment to overcome the insect infestation. The product has good consumer appeal.

Influence of fat content on the quality and shelf life of cured sardines

The paper presents results of studies on the effect of seasonal variations in the fat content on the quality and shelf life of dry cured, pickle cured and smoke cured oil sardines. The merits and defects of each method of curing during different seasons are discussed.

Quality of cured fishery products from Malabar and Kanara coasts

Results of chemical, bacteriological and organoleptic quality studies of cured fishery products of commerce collected from six major fish curing centres on the west coast of India are presented. 77.12% of the samples had moisture above 35%, 97.18% showed salt content below 25% and all samples had acid insoluble ash above 1.5%. 42.32% gave standard plate counts above 10,000 and 45.77% were contaminated with 'Red' halophiles. The major defects in curing were imperfect cleaning, inadequate salting and unhygienic conditions of processing.

Antioxidant effect of betel leaf extract on dry-cured fish

The effect of betel leaf (Piper betle Linn.) extract on control of autoxidation of fat in dry fish has been studied. Oil sardine has been selected for experiments since it contains very high amount of fat. The treatments were given with 5% (w/v) betel leaf extract in water at different stages of salt curing. FFA, PV and TVN values of the samples were determined periodically to assess the keeping quality and autoxidation. The sample, prepared by dipping the fish in the extract immediately after salting and then drying as usual, was found to have better keeping qualities.

Quality of cured fish from Tamil Nadu coast

Results of studies of chemical, bacteriological and organoleptic quality of cured fish collected from four major curing centres along the Tamil Nadu coast are reported. Only 32.43% of the samples had moisture level below 35%, 0.9% had salt 25% and above. None of the samples showed acid insoluble ash below 1.5%. The main defects were unhygienic processing, inadequate salting, use of poor quality salt and incomplete drying. Recommendations for improvement of quality are given.

Quality characteristics of cured fish of commerce

A survey was conducted at the fish curing yards at Shakthikulangara (Quilon), fish market at Vizhinjam, fish curing yards, fish market as well as dry fish godowns in and around Tuticorin. A total of 23 samples of different varieties of fishes collected from the markets and curing yards and 8 samples of anchovies collected from different godowns at Tuticorin were analysed to evaluate the quality and extent of fungal and insect infestation. Samples were analysed for proximate composition and estimated their water activity. About 70% of the 23 samples of different varieties of fish were found to be unfit for consumption and 12.5% of the samples of anchovies were found to be infested with beetle, after 3 weeks of storage after collection from these centres.

Quality of cured fish from the Maharashtra coast

Chemical, bacteriological and organoleptic characteristics of sun dried/dry salted fish collected from five major centres of coastal Maharastra [sic] are reported. Wide variations are seen in the quality of the different samples. In dry salted products, moisture ranged from 16.17 to 46.58%; salt from 5.18 to 22.75%; acid insoluble ash from 1.0 to 6.8%. In sun dried samples moisture varied from 16.15 to 39.51% and acid insoluble ash from 0.42 to 2.82%. The sun dried samples, though no salt was used in the process, showed fairly good amount of salt.

Quality of cured fish on the west coast: comparative study with the IS specifications

Moisture and salt content in cured fish products from various centres on the west coast of India are compared. The moisture contents varied in samples from different centres, whereas the salt content remained more or less uniform. The deviations from the Indian standard specification were highly significant in both cases. The high mean moisture values and low salt values with respect to accepted standards are indicative of the improper drying and poor salting.