Physico-Chemical, Microbiological and Sensory Changes in Sun-dried Trichogaster fasciata During Storage

Abstract

Sun dried (T. fasciata) was stored with airtight polyethylene bags at room temperature to investigate the changes in physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics for 90 days. Sensory and physical (water reconstitution, pH) characteristics of dried T. fasciata showed that the product was acceptable up to 60 days of storage. Moisture content of T. fasciata was significantly increased from 15.06% to 17.80% during the storage period. No significant difference was observed in protein, lipid and ash content on dry matter basis during storage. However, amount of lipids of the dried fish was slightly decreased with the increasing of storage time. The pH value of dried T. fasciata was decreased significantly from 6.51 to 5.94 during the storage period. The peroxide value was increased from 13.84 to 27.87 meq/Kg of lipid. Similarly, acid value and conjugated diene of the lipids were increased significantly, and this result suggested that lipid oxidation occurred over this period of time. Microbial load was also increased from 1.13 to 8.37 log CFU/g with the increasing of storage time. Results of this study showed that the product was oxidized marginally during the storage period and suitable for human consumption up to 60 days.