Quality Characteristics of Traditionally Sundried Fishes for Poultry Feed in Tuticorin, South East Coast of India

Bycatches were dried unhygenically and transported to other states for poultry feed from Tuticorin coast. There are more than 25 species of bycatches are used for sun drying for poultry feed. Feed farmers purchase low cost trash fishes discarded in the fish landing regions for poultry feed preparation and transfer it through unhygienically in trucks to the local drying area. Fishes were dried on sandy floor without washing, degutting, salting and implementing any hygienic measures to avoid the intact of natural contaminants like insects or dust. The semi-dried fishes were packed in gunny packs and taken to dry fish wholesale market by the dry fish farmers or other middlemen involved in dry fish marketing. The chemical composition and qualities such as moisture, protein, lipid, ash, peroxide value, total volatile base nitrogen content and microbiological properties were analyzed. Moisture content was above the acceptable limit in 18 species of fishes. Protein and lipid content of dried fish samples was lower with the range of 4.85 to 11. 20% and 0.02 - 1.88%, respectively. Ash content was found to be highest in all the fish samples (10.91 - 25.02%). Peroxide and Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen (TVB-N)value of the fish samples were found above the acceptable limit of 10 - 20meq/kg of fat and up to 30 mg/100g, respectively. Bacterial count was found higher, however Salmonella and Coliform was found in most of the dried fish samples. Organoleptic quality of the dried fish samples was found very bad with objectionable flavor, odor and insect infestations. Extension work are needed to develop hygienically dried fishes with good nutritive value improve economic value in commercialized markets.