The techniques used in processing cat fish in developing economies of the world are not without several drawbacks. The most prominent is traditional method and this has been known to generate high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In addressing the problems faced by processors in the industry, a fish smoker of 50kg capacity that derives its power from dual heat sources (charcoal and gas) was designed, fabricated and evaluated. The smoking time was evaluated on the heat sources with and without the use of a suction blower. The fish had a smoking (retention) time of 4 hours when it was processed without the suction blower while the retention time decreased from 4 hours to 3 hours when the suction blower was used. The suction blower also has a significant impact on the moisture content on dry basis (MC db). The MC db values of smoked fish when suction blower was used with charcoal and gas for 4 hours duration were 10.45% and 11.76%, respectively. Without blower, the values were 14.3% and 11.70%, respectively. The processed smoked fish produced was hygienic, not likely to exceed maximum limits of PAHs allowed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency since materials used are stainless steel and the heat sources used were indirectly introduced into the smoking chamber. Hygienic processing and practices of smoked fish and products can ensure food safety in our society
nil
nil
nil
Primary Language | English |
---|---|
Subjects | Agricultural Engineering |
Journal Section | Research Articles |
Authors | |
Project Number | nil |
Publication Date | June 30, 2021 |
Submission Date | November 12, 2020 |
Acceptance Date | March 6, 2021 |
Published in Issue | Year 2021 Volume: 2 Issue: 1 |
International peer double-blind reviewed journal