A study on the physicochemical properties, microstructure and sensory characteristics of fish flakes

Abstract

The objective of this project was to determine the chemical composition, color, shear force (N), sensory evaluation and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of fish flakes prepared with the addition of five different levels (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30%) of Tapioca Starch (TS). Fish flakes were prepared from mixture of stingray meat, spices, TS and dried using oven dryer until the moisture content was reduced to about 25%. No significant difference was found in the fat, Ca and Fe contents among the five treatments. Sensory evaluation shows samples containing 15% of TS more acceptable by the panelists. A color analysis showed that there were significant differences (p<0.05) among the samples except for the redness (a) values. The substitution of TS affected to the moisture content and texture of the final product. The shear force values tended to increase by increasing the levels of TS. The SEM photograph showed that increasing level of TS and heating treatment caused change in the microstructure and affected the shear force value of the end product. The information provided by this study can be utilized by the jerky producers to manufacture jerky from stingray meat as diversified jerky product which is already available in the market. © 2010 Academic Journals Inc.