Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

Certain biochemical characteristics of fish sauces

Volume 35 Issue 1&2

P.Velayudham and G.Jegatheesan

Abstract

Finflshes such as Leiognathus equulus, Sardinella albella and Selaroides leptolop is were treated with salt in the ratios of 2 :1,3 :1 and 4 :1 to prepare good quality fish sauces. The chemical characteristics of fish sauce such as pH, salt, solids, protein, amino-nitrogen,' trimethylamine (TMA), total volatile nitrogen (TVN) and total volatile acids (TVA) and organoleptic properties were studied at an interval of 3 and 6 months. The values of protein and amino-nitrogen content of the fish sauces produced from L. equulus, S. albella and S. leptolepis after 6 months, in the fish-salt ratio of 4 :1 were found to be 7.76, 8.6 and 9.68 g (protein) and 401.00, 550.00 and 635.00 mgN (amino-nitrogen) per 100 ml of fish sauce respectively. The pH of the fish sauces of the above species were more or less similar to that of sauces produced elsewhere from quality fish. The values of TMA and TVN of L.equulus, S. albella and S. leptolepsis fish sauces were also found to be within acceptable level. Among the different fish: salt ratios, 4:1 ratio was found to be better with regard to the quality of sauce. The quality of fish sauces based on their protein and amino-nitrogen level was in the order of S. Leptolepis, S. albella and L. equulus.

Date : 31-10-1993