Organoleptic Assessment and Nutritive Values of Clarias gariepinus Smoked Using Coal and Firewood

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the Organoleptic and the nutritive value of Clarias garepinus smoked using different sources of energy from firewood and charcoal. These were sourced from the tree Prosopis affricana. The fish were smoked using the local smoking Kilns made from drums with a wire mesh placed on top of them. The firewood or the charcoal was introduced from the vent. The fish were weighted before and after the smoking processes. The initial weight of the fish used for the smoking process was 207.0±11.61 g and after was 54.68±1.14 g. The fish were left to smoke for 24 h at a temperature of 500°C to reduce the moisture to the minimum and were left to cool. The sensory evaluation was carried out by a 10- man evaluation panel using the 7-point Hedonic scale and the proximate composition was evaluated according to methods outline by AOAC (1990). The sensory evaluation showed there was a significant differences (p<0.05) between the fish smoked using charcoal and firewood in colour, flavour and general acceptability. However, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in taste between the fish smoked using charcoal and firewood. There also a significant difference (p>0.05) in the proximate composition between fish smoked using charcoal and firewood in moisture, protein, fat, ash and crude fiber. This implies that charcoal is a better source of energy for smoking fish than firewood.