Processing and Preservation of Fish

The major cause of spoilage in fresh fish is bacterial attack. The main aim of fish processing and preservation is to slow down or prevent bacterial deterioration.

What is Fish Processing?

Fish processing involves the removal of inedible parts like scales, fins, gut, bones and gills and changing the fish from one form into a preservable form. The preserved part is then cooked or fried for eating.

By-products of fish processing include Fish meal, Fish scales, Cod liver oil, and Fish skin.

What is Fish Preservation?

As soon as a fish dies, spoilage begins and if not preserved they become spoilt.

Due to this problem, there is a need for proper preservation to reduce the rate of fish being wasted.

The following conditions can bring about deterioration in fish:

(i) Presence of high moisture content.
(ii) Presence of house flies.

Food is preserved to;

• retain the quality and quantity of fish.
• increase the shelf life of the food.
• develop different types of fish food.
• maintain all season supplies.
• avoid spoilage caused by micro-organismsMicrobes are organisms that are too small to be seen without using a microscope. They include organisms like bacteria, archaea, and single-cell eukaryotes (organisms whose cells have a nucleus e.g. amoeba... More

Fish preservation involves some techniques to prevent spoilage, they are:

(i) Refrigeration: