Comparative Study on Organoleptic, Microbiological and Chemical Qualities of Dried Fish, Goldstripe Sardinella(Sardinella Gibbosa) with Low Salt Levels and Spices

Dried fish is very important component in Sri Lankan fishery productswhile current domestic production is estimated at around 40,000 tons per year. Generally, dried fish production in Sri Lanka is based on traditional methodology where 30% of salt is used averagely. Use of excess amount of salt can have negative health effects. Therefore production of dried fish with low salt is very important.Accordingly, partial substitution of salt with alternative substances can be done. Current study aimed at evaluating the effect of low levels of salt and combined effect of low salt and spices on quality of dried fish. The study was carried out using eviscerated and cleaned up GoldstripeSardinella with 0% (T1), 5% (T2), 10% (T3) salt levels and two different combinations of salt and spices (1%salt with 0.2%turmeric, 0.5%chlli, 0.5%pepper (T4) and 2%salt with 0.2%turmeric, 0.2%chlli, 0.2%pepper (T5)). Hot air dehydrator (65-70 °C) was used for fish drying. Chemical (moisture, water activity (a_w), Total volatile nitrogen (TVN), and sodium chloride), physical (texture and rehydration), microbiological (APC, mould and yeast count and coliform count) properties and sensory attributes of experimentally prepared dried fish were investigated. The chemical parameters for all treatments were significantly different (p<0.05) while physical parameters were not (p>0.05). T2 indicated the best chemical quality. The values for moisture, a_w, sodium chloride, TVN, texture and rehydration for T2, were 11.6584±0.03, 0.591±0.002, 12.43±0.15, 59.43 mg/100g±12.86, 1.54kg±0.14 and 12.70±3.54 respectively. T2 and T3 had least microbial counts while T1 and T5 had highest microbial count. But T5 had highest scores for all sensory attributes indicating consumer preference for low salt and spicy taste regardless of high TVN content and poor microbial quality.Therefore it is essential to improve the methodology to enhance the quality of low salt and spices added dried fish.