A survey on the quality of Indian fish meal of commerce

Data on proximate composition, total volatile bases, total non-protein nitrogen and bacterial quality of commercial samples of Indian fish meal are presented in this communication. The samples vary very much in quality depending on the type of raw material used and method of processing followed. The data are discussed in relation to the Indian standard Specifications for fish meal as livestock feed.

A new one-boat mid-water trawl for Indian waters

Even though the rich and variegated pelagic fishery resources of our west coast are well known much has to be done for a judicial and systematic exploitation on a commercial scale. To fill up this lacuna the present paper describes in detail a new design of 10.5 m four-equal panel mid-water trawl, its rigging and operation from a medium size vessel. Comprehensive comparative efficiency studies of this gear with a 10.5m unequal panel mid-water trawl established the superiority of the new gear. From the results based on the mouth opening, resistance and the catch it is opined that this new gear can not only be used on a commercial scale in harvesting the seasonal pelagic fishery, but also as a secondary supporting gear in shrimp fishery in places like Veraval, where there is a commercially exploitable yield of quality fishes like hilsa, pomfret, seer etc., without much modification from conventional stern trawlers.

Processing aspects of Indian mackerel: a review

Indian mackerel belongs to the family Scombridae and the genus Rastrelliger. The Indian mackerel, Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier), is a pelagic shoaling fish widely distributed in the Indo Pacific region with maximum abundance in Indian coasts. Another species, R. brachysoma (Bleeker), also is reported from the Andamans in Indian waters. However, the former is the species that supports the fishery in India (Nair, 1970).

On the carotenoid pigments in Indian prawns

Changes occurring in carotenoid pigments of prawns during different types of processing and storage has been a matter calling for a scientific solution for which knowledge of their fundamental nature is essential. A detailed account of the methods employed in isolating the individual pigments and the results achieved in their identification are presented in this paper.

Bacterial flora of fresh and iced Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) and its response to chlortetracycline (CTC) treatment

Quantitative and qualitative studies on the bacterial flora of fresh Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) have been made. The total native flora as well as 5 ppm CTC insensitive flora of the fish showed variations with season. About 90% of the fresh fish flora was sensitive to 5 ppm CTC. The natural flora of the fresh fish consisted of Vibrios, Pseudomonas, Achromobacter, Flavobacterium, Corynebacteria, Micrococci, Bacillus and yeasts. In the CTC insensitive flora, Vibrios predominated followed by yeasts. The selection of bacterial genera during storage of the fish in ice and in 5 ppm CTC incorporated ice has also been investigated. At the time of spoilage, Pseudomonas was found to be the dominant flora of the fish stored in both types of ice.

Proximate composition of 17 species of Indian fish

Miscellaneous fish from the catches of shrimp trawlers constitute a major portion of the marine fish catch in India, its quantity in annual landing being of the order of 50,000 tons. At present it is often not brought to the shore since it fetches only very low price. It consists of several species and is a cheap source of animal protein. Attempts are made in India in various centres (Anon. 1972-73) to utilise them effectively by formulating various speciality products acceptable to consumers.

Nucleotide degradation and production of hypoxanthine in some Indian marine and freshwater fishes

Changes in nucleotides and production of hypoxanthine in rohu (Labeo rohita), mrigal (Cihhrina mrigala) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) during storage at 2-4°C were examined. Differences were observed between common carp and others. Production of hypoxanthine in pomfret (Stromateus argenteus), cat fish (Arius macronotacanthus), shark (Scoliodon spp.), seer fish (Scomberomorus guttatus), ray fish (Dasyatis imbricata) and prawns (Parapenaeopsis stylifera) was examined during storage at 2-4°C and -28°C. At 2-4°C hypoxanthine increased regularly but at -28°C there was no increase during storage over 28 weeks.

Selection of bacterial flora in the Chlortetracycline treated oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps), Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) and prawn (Metapenaeus dobsoni) during ice storage

The native flora of oil sardine and mackerel consisting of Pseudomonas spp; Moraxella spp., Acinetobacter spp. and Vibrio spp. underwent significant changes during ice storage. At the time of spoilage, Pseudomonas spp. were predominant. CTC treatment significantly reduced the Pseudomonas spp. in the initial stages of storage; but later Pseudomonas spp. reasserted and constituted the bulk of the spoilage flora. In prawn, the native flora was comprised of Pseudomonas spp., Acinetobacter spp., Moraxella spp. and Vibrio spp. At the time of spoilage a heterogeneous flora, consisting of Pseudomonas spp; Moraxella spp. and Acinetobacter spp. predominated. CTC treatment significantly changed the flora of prawns. During spoilage, Pseudomonas predominated in CTC treated prawns.

Bacterial flora of EDTA treated oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps), Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) and prawn (Metapenaeus dobsoni) in ice storage

The native flora of fresh oil sardine and mackerel consisted mainly of Pseudomonas spp., Moraxella spp., Acinetobacter spp. and Vibrio spp. During spoilage in ice, nearly 75% of their bacterial flora belonged to Pseudomonas spp. alone. But Na sub(2) EDTA treatment reduced the proportion of Pseudomonas spp. considerably and the major bacterial groups at the time of spoilage were Moraxella spp. and Acinetobacter spp. In the case of fresh prawn, the native flora was constituted by Pseudomonas spp., Moraxella spp., Acinetobacter spp. and Vibrio spp. At the time of spoilage of prawn in ice, Moraxella spp. and Acinetobacter spp. predominated, together constituting 74% of the total population. Na sub(2) EDTA treatment did not alter significantly the spoilage flora of prawns. Moraxella spp. and Acinetobacter spp. accounted for 86% of the spoilage flora in ice storage of Na sub(2) EDTA treated prawns.

Ecology of Indian estuaries-XI. A preliminary survey of the fishery resources of the Ashtamudi estuarine system

The fish fauna of the Ashtamudi, the second largest estuarine system in Kerala (8°53'-9°02' N Lat. and 76°31'-76°41' E Long.) is listed. 97 species belonging to 39 families have been recorded, ofwhich69 are commercially important contributing to the fisheries of the Ashtamudi Estuary. Mullets, cichlids and the glassy perchlets are the most abundant groups and contribute appreciably to the landings. Results revealed that the estuarine system supports a good capture fishery which is seasonal. Majority of the fish fauna in the estuary are marine elements recruited from the adjoining Arabian Sea. An inventory of the craft and gear employed is presented and the sources of pollution in the estuarine system are described, aquacultural prospects of this area are discussed.

Changes in the muscle of three Indian major carps during frozen storage

Chunks of Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala and Catla catla wrapped in polythene film were stored at -8 to -10°C in the freezer cabinet of the refrigerator. It was found that L. rohita and C. mrigala were acceptable up to 33 days and C. catch up to 35 days. Total volatile base nitrogen, free fatty acids and degree of sponginess of the samples showed increasing trend during frozen storage.

Preservation of Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps) in iced and chilled seawater. Part 2 - Changes during storage with particular reference to salt penetration and lipid deterioration during CSW holding

Oil sardines in prime condition were chilled on board. Two lots were chilled in CSW (samples C & CI), one lot ice (sample I) and a fourth lot was left un-iced on deck (sample AI). Sample AI was iced after landing and sample CI was taken out of the chilled seawater and. iced. All the four samples were kept in a chilled room for storage studies. Sample C, chilled and stored in CSW, recorded a gradual gain in weight and an increase in salt content of the muscle. Presence of salt did not seem to cause any excessive protein denaturation. Salt extractability decreased at a gradual rate in all cases. Presence of salt seemed to wield no noticeable influence on lipid hydrolysis and subsequent peroxidation. Results of chemical and sensory evaluations highlight this. Holding sardines in CSW gave a product of excellent quality for the first four to five days of storage. Beyond the fifth day of storage quality deteriorated rapidly and there was no noticeable superiority for this sample (sample C) over the on board iced fish. This was evident in the sensory evaluation as well. However, a storage life of five days in a readily acceptable state is sufficient for the fish to be disposed in the market at a premium sale price over other landings of the same species.

Height-length relation of shells in the Indian backwater oyster Crassostrea madrasensis (Preston) of the Cochin harbour

Height-length relationship in Crassostrea madrasensis (Preston) showed an exponential trend and relation in the form, H=ALᴮ. Deviations of actual values from the mean values consequent to the increase in size were noticed. Height and length approximated in oysters of less than 3.5cm in height resulting in orbicular shape. In oyster of shell height 3.5cm to 8cm, increase in height is faster leading to an oval shape. Above 8cm in height, the oysters become further elongated. Height-length relation is non-linear with an index (B value) of 1.1156. A linear relationship also holds good as the B value is not very much different from unity (H=-2.5424+2.0036L).

On the eye diameter-total length relationship of the Indian mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier)

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.

The preservation of some Indian freshwater fish

Quality changes in Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala and Tilapia mossambica were studied during storage in ice and at ambient temperature (29-32°C). After 10h at ambient temperature L. rohita and T. mossambica were completely spoiled, while C. mrigala became unacceptable within 11h. Organoleptic examination, total volatile base nitrogen and total bacterial counts showed that L. rohita (0.5 kg and above) and C. mrigala (0.5 kg and above) were acceptable up to 7 to 8 days of storage in ice in popular container (Bamboo basket) lined with palmyrah mat) at ambient temperature while T. mossambica (30-40 g) was acceptable up to 6 days. Influence of size of fish on shelf life in ice studied with reference to L. rohita showed that fishes below 500 g were acceptable up to 6 days of storage in ice in popular container at ambient temperature while those above 1000 g size were acceptable up to 8 days. Provision of an alkathene lining to the popular container extended the storage life of L. rohita from 6 days to 8 days. Pre-chilled and iced L. rohita had a longer shel flife (9 days) than merely iced sample (7 days).