Development of Ready to Eat Fish Paste Using Chub Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) Tail Off cuts

Purpose: The Scomber japonicas (Chub mackerel) is one of the popular marine fi sh species used in canning industry yet the production of fi sh tail off cuts during canning process considered as a waste leaving the signifi cant loss to the manufacturer. The present study was focused on the development of a ready to eat fi sh paste using chub mackerel tail off cuts. Research Method: Fish paste was prepared using three (03) diff erent recipes. Minced fi sh tail off cuts were incorporated at 63.5, 51.1 and 61.1% with spices and other ingredients added accordingly. To fi nd the best recipe for chub mackerel, physicochemical properties, defi nite sensory attributes, stability and the safety of the fi sh pastes were examined. Findings: Recipe 03 incorporated with 61.1% of minced fi sh had the highest overall acceptability together with maximum scores for fl avour, colour and texture. Further, recipe 03 had the highest crude protein and lowest crude fat percentage. The pH of all fi sh pastes shown to have a signifi cant reduction during the fi rst 08 weeks nevertheless the values were within the acceptable level. Lowest free fatty acid content was also detected in recipe 03 while peroxide value was insignifi cant in all the recipes. Moreover, Clostridium botulinum was not detected in fi sh pastes which assured the safety of the end product during 08 weeks of storage at room temperature. Research Limitation: The shelf life of the prepared fi sh pastes were not tested for a longer period. Originality/Value: Chub mackerel tail off cuts can be successfully used to produce a ready to eat fi sh paste as a value-added fi sh product while minimizing the waste of edible by-products.