Abstract:
Dried and Maldives fish plays an essential role in human nutrition by providing
animal proteins, healthy fats and a unique source of other essential nutrients.
Nutritional components and sensory properties of dried fish are influenced by
processing and handling practices. Nowadays, it is considered that the dried fishes
available in the market are in poor quality due to bacterial and fungal
contamination, elevated levels of histamine and low protein and mineral contents.
Therefore, this study seeks to compare the nature of selected processing and
handling practices of dried and Maldives fish in order to ensure the good
manufacturing practices towards better product. The snowball sampling technique
was used to select 25 participants, including 10 Maldives fish processors and 15
dried fish processors in Southern Sri Lanka. In-depth interviews were employed to
collect primary data and secondary data were collected from reputed published
materials. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. All dried and
Maldives fish processors use poor grade large pelagic raw fish species, while 88%
of processors use eroded and dirty equipment during their processing. It is reported
that 88% of processors use sea water and 12% use fresh water to wash raw fish.
Another 40% of fish processors of Maldives fish use curry leaves and gummy-gutta
during the boiling and smoking steps to improve taste and smell. Seventy-six
percentage of dried fish processors sun dry their products an average of three days
and 72% of Maldives fish processors dry the fish for an average of 10 days, while
others take less duration for drying during the best sunny season. All Maldives fish
and 30% of dried fish processors use drying racks to dry their products, while
others lie on mats and tents. About 20% of processors sort their products to
separate animal excrement and other contaminations. The 50% of processors grade
their products based on appearance, size and texture. In conclusion, processors pay
very little attention to the quality of the processing and handling practices.
Therefore, appropriate management mechanisms and attention should be put in
place to improve the end product quality through the exchange of knowledge
between processors.
