Smoke- Curing Indices of Some Frozen Fish Species Using Traditional Smoking Kiln in Abeokuta, Ogun State

¹AKINYEMI, A.A., ¹IDOWU, A.A., ¹OLAOYE, O.J., ²TAIWO AYANSANWO, ²A.O. KUDORO AND ²B.B. ADEKOYA

¹Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria.

²Ogun State Agriculture Development Programme, Olabisi Onabanjo Way, Idi – Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

E-mail: adeoluakinyemi@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The preservative effect of the smoking process results from drying and the deposition in the flesh of natural wood-smoke chemicals. The smoke-curing indices of Hake – (Merluccius sp); Sardine – (Sardinella sp); Mackerel – (Scomberomerus tritor) and Herring – (Sardinella maderensis) were assessed using cut-out drum smoking kiln. The fishes were weighed before smoking and the weighing continued at 30 minutes intervals during smoking until constant weights for each fish species was attained. The temperature in the smoking kiln during smoking curing ranged between 40 – 70⁰C, there was a continual and gradual loss of weight in Hake – (Merluccius sp); Sardine – (Sardinella sp); Mackerel – (Scomberomerus tritor) and Herring – (Sardinella maderensis) examined as the smoking time increases until a constant weight was reached at different times. Sardine – (Sardinella sp) had the highest smoking curing index of 62.5% and Hake – (Merluccius sp) was least with 43.75%. Thus, the shelf life of this fish species become enhanced at these levels of smoking which, enable the processors  time before the sales of their products.