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

Purpose: The Scomber japonicus (Chub mackerel) is one of the popular marine fish species used in canning industry yet the production of fish tail offcuts during canning process considered as a waste leaving the significant loss to the manufacturer. The present study was focused on the development of a ready to eat fish paste using chub mackerel tail offcuts. Research Method: Fish paste was prepared using three (03) different recipes. Minced fish tail offcuts were incorporated at 63.5, 51.1 and 61.1% with spices and other ingredients added accordingly. To find the best recipe for chub mackerel, physicochemical properties, definite sensory attributes, stability and the safety of the fish pastes were examined. Findings: Recipe 03 incorporated with 61.1% of minced fish had the highest overall acceptability together with maximum scores for flavour, colour and texture. Further, recipe 03 had the highest crude protein and lowest crude fat percentage. The pH of all fish pastes shown to have a significant reduction during the first 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 insignificant in all the recipes. Moreover, Clostridium botulinum was not detected in fish 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 fish pastes were not tested for a longer period. Originality/Value: Chub mackerel tail offcuts can be successfully used to produce a ready to eat fish paste as a value-added fish product while minimizing the waste of edible by-products.