Enhance the Utilization of Trash Fish through Value Addition and Its Storage Study

Trash fishes are widely used in coastal areas either directly or indirectly for human consumption and un-hygienically dried and used as poultry feed. Trash fishes that are freshly prepared and carefully managed can be a very good and inexpensive, source of food for culturing aquatic animals. Sadly, this is not in practical due to its unknown nutritional components. The nutritional values of the discarded fishes are very important to initiate proper use of these trash fishes in a desirable way. Hence, understanding the nutritional value of trash fish is very important. Although several studies have dealt with the proximate biochemical components of many commercially important fishes work on similar lines was very limited in trash fishes and the present study has been conducted to collect the nutritional data sheet of selected trash fish and compared with commercial available fish. Furthermore, value added fish products has been prepared from the meat of trash fish.

Utilization of low valued by catches from catches for human consumption is mainly done in the form of mince based products like fish sausage, cakes, cutlets, patties, balls, pastes, wafers, fingers, surimi, texturized products etc., or fish protein concentrate with or without bone was already studied. All these are net cod end should not exceed 35-40 mm mesh size. made from commercially high value market sized fishes. However, in the above products fish bones are discarded for the convenience of eating, there by wasting important minerals like calcium, potassium, sodium and zinc. Value addition and diversification to satisfy the ever changing demand from the importing countries as well as urban consumers at home are some of the major challenges faced by the Indian fish processing industry. Value addition means “any additional activity that unused. The fish that are not utilized for human changes the nature and presentation of the product thus adding value to it for sale”. Present market trends are indicative of extensive growth in the demand for ready-to cook or ready-to - serve convenience products processed out of a variety of fin and shell fishes.