Search

Catfish (Sciades herzbergii) are widely captured in Brazilian Northeast but have low commercial value. The processing of catfish into an innovative product with longer shelf life can add value to the fish and improve sustainability. The objective of this study was to investigate the stability during 60 days of refrigerated storage smoked sausages produced by two different smoking processes (traditional smoking [TS] and liquid smoking [LS]). The smoking processes affected fat and ash contents, hardness, and CIE (Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage) color (L* and b* values). TS sausages had higher fat content and yellowness (b* value). LS sausages had higher ash content (15 days of storage) and lightness (L* value). The sausage's hardness was higher at 45 days of storage for TS and at 60 days for LS sausages. During refrigerated storage, there were decreases in crude protein (309.12–263.49 g/kg, 1–30 days, respectively), water holding capacity (89.77%–87.39%, 1–45 days, respectively), and redness (a* value) (10.35–6.09, 1–30 days, respectively), and increases in hardness (TS = 31.92–55.92 N, 1–45 days, respectively; LS = 32.88–61.18N, 160 days, respectively) and TBARS values (1.56–2.38 mg malonaldehyde/kg, 1–60 days, respectively). The microbial quality was kept within Brazilian legislation limits. Therefore, liquid smoked catfish sausage consists of a convenient innovative product, which is easier to process and control and provides a product with good physicochemical, microbial, and biochemical characteristics for up to 60 days of storage. Practical Application: Catfish, a low commercial value fish (by catch from shrimp operations), can be processed into a high value smoked sausage. Liquid smoking was easier to process, environment friendly, and easier to control compared to traditional smoking. It provided a nutritional, easy to prepare at home, and microbial safe product with a shelf life under refrigeration up to 60 days. It can be successfully used to warrant sustainability in the fish chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to have a critical overview of traditional fish smoking in Africa. Fish is highly susceptible to deterioration without any preservative or processing measure, and due to its chemical composition, fish is a perishable food material, and its flavor and texture change rapidly during storage after death. Fish harvesting, handling, processing, and distribution provide livelihood for millions of people, as well as providing foreign exchange to many African countries. In many rural fishing communities, the infrastructures for post-harvest processing and preservation of fish are inadequate. As a result, losses reach up to 40% of the total catch by weight. The fishing industry, despite its importance, suffers from enormous post-harvest losses which are estimated at 35–40% of landed weight, and it is estimated that post-harvest losses remain about 25% of the total world catch annually. These losses have a profound adverse impact on fishing communities whose status and income often depend on post-harvest activities. Such losses also have a detrimental impact on the socio-economic life of the fishing communities and reduce the amount of animal protein available to a large segment of the population. In Africa, some 5% of the population, about 35 million people, depend wholly or partly on the fisheries sector, mostly artisanal fisheries, for their livelihood. Various traditional methods are employed to preserve and process fish for consumption and storage. These include smoking, drying, salting, frying, and fermenting and various combinations of these. In most countries in Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, etc., smoking is the most widely practiced method: Practically all species of fish caught can be smoked, and it has been estimated that 70–80% of the domestic marine and freshwater catch is consumed in smoked form. However, different smoking methods are used in processing and preservation of fish by artisanal fishermen in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The levels of six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( PAHs) including benzo[a]pyrene and three other PAH were determined in smoked Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. Different smoking techniques were compared to evaluate the risk associated with consumption of these cheeses. Although no maximum limits are set for PAHs in cheese, the levels found in some samples constitute a health risk. In fact, using corrugated cardboard, high levels were detected in the whole product or in the outer part. Also, the use of traditional materials involves the accumulation of PAHs in the outer part, but in the total product concentrations are significantly lower. No contamination was found using liquid smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two different protocols for the production of cold smoked salmon were investigated. All fillets were dry salted (18 h, 4 °C) before being allotted to a smoke condensate/liquid smoke protocol (SCP), which included drenching (1 min) in smoke condensate [1:3 (v/v) smoke:water] and drying (150 min, 28.4 ± 2.2 °C) or a wood chips protocol (WCP) that included drying and smoking in a regular smoking chamber (23 °C, 480 min) using wood chips for smoke production. Quality assessments were performed on the smoked fillets at day 0 and after 7, 14, and 31 d of storage (3.4 ± 0.7 °C). Application of the SCP resulted in a significantly higher ( P < 0.01) processing yield (89.6%± 0.7%) as compared to the WCP (88.6%± 0.5%). On day 0, the SCP fillets were significantly ( P < 0.01) less light ( L*) and yellow ( b*) and had a lower chroma ( C*) and hue ( h*) compared to the fillets processed with WCP. From 7 d until the end of storage time, small differences in color were observed. After 31 d of storage, the SCP fillets had a significantly higher ( P < 0.05) intensity of oily texture and lower intensity of salty and smoke taste. Texture profile analysis (TPA) showed few significant differences between the processing protocols, although the WCP fillets were significantly harder than the SCP fillets when recording the force at 60% compression of the fillet height. The use of smoke condensate and drenching technology is a way of producing cold smoked salmon with quality characteristics quite similar to those found in commercial “traditional” products, although processors who want to use this technology have to optimize the drying step and the smoke condensate formulation to their specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]