Production and quality evaluation of spiced anchovy fish sauce

This study aims to investigate the effect of cold (5 ± 2 °C) and ambient (33 ± 2 °C) storage conditions on the storage quality of anchovy fish (Engraulis encrasicolus) sauce. Fish samples were obtained from Qarun Lake, Egypt, during the summer of 2019. They were dry-salted with a salt content of 20% (w/w) and stored at a range of 28–32 °C for 60 days. Plain sauce was treated with 0.1% of garlic (Allium sativum), black seed (Nigella sativa), rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) and jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) extracts, and stored at different conditions. The results showed that the plain sauce had a pH of 6.17, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) of 72.23 mg/100 ml, free amino nitrogen (FAN) of 12.86 mg/100 ml, acid value (AV) of 0.63 mg KOH/ml oil, and free fatty acids (FFAs) of 0.66 mg/100 ml. Fish sauce with garlic was the best compared to others based on sensory evaluation. With regard to the effect of storage conditions on the efficacy of plant extracts, it was found that at 33 ± 2 °C jojoba, black seed and rosemary extracts controlled most quality indices, whereas at 5 ± 2 °C all extracts were more effective in controlling the quality indices of the anchovy sauce. In conclusion, this study suggests that plant extracts especially under cold storage could improve the storage quality and extended shelf life of anchovy sauce. In general, both storage conditions and periods affected the protein and lipid hydrolysis of the fish sauce samples. Fish sauce is safe for human consumption based on the international permissible values. In addition, the resultant dried cake can be exploited in the field of food industry as a value-added product.