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Background: The popularity of snack foods among children and younger has attracted the attention of food processor for finding out new avenues of earning profit. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop crackers from freshwater fish, catla and if found successful, become a part of food industry on large scale. Methods: Fresh fish, Labeo catla were procured from local market, available at Nagpur city, Maharashtra. The mince was prepared using meat mincer. The corn flour and seasonings were purchased from local market. The 60:40 ratio of fish mince to corn flour was used for making crackers. The minced meat, corn flour, salt and seasonings were mixed to form smooth dough. Dough was placed in boiling water at 100°C, boiled for 15 minutes and cool down for 15-20 minutes. Dough was cut into 2-3 mm thick slices, sun dried for 2 days and fried in edible oil at 180-200°C for 30 seconds. Result: The results indicate that crispy, golden brown colored crackers were developed from mince of catla fish with excellent nutritional quality. The developed crackers were rated as ‘liked more’ among the panelists. This may replace wafers from plant origin in near future to meet the ever-increasing demand of nutritious food to the people.

The mince of rohu (Labeo rohita) fish was used to develop susages using microbial transglutaminase (MTGase). The functional (gel strength, water holding capacity, folding score), textural, colour characterstics, protein pattern and microstructure of the mince sausages prepared using MTGase (0, 1, 1.5 & 2%) were studied. MTGase positively enhaced the gel strength, water holding capacity, and folding score of the prepared sausages with an increment in concentration of MTGase. MTGase effectively cross-linked proteins in the gel network as revealed in protein patterns, despite presence of sarcoplasmic proteins. Although low, but the gel strength of mince sausages was found to be comparable with surimi and surimi-based gel products. The different concentration of MTGase did not show any significant influence (p > 0.05) on the textural properties of susages such as hardness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness and elasticity. The variation in colour characteristics of cooked mince sausages particularly whiteness arises from the pigments in mince and the colour of MTGase used during formulation of sausages. MTGase added sausage samples had a finer and homogenous protein network with a smaller void when compared with the gel of mince without MTGase in microstructure analysis. Though potential additive for improvement of functional properties of sausages, availability and cost of MTGase limits its use in the development of value-added fish products such as sausages from mince of freshwater fish.

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Aquaculture is an important industry for national economies, but it needs to improve its survival rates through increased technology awareness. Stunted fingerlings, obtained from aged fish, are a practical alternative for stocking in aquaculture due to their higher survival rates and disease resistance. Farmers can produce stunted fish fingerlings by rearing fish at a higher stocking density and feeding them with natural food for a prolonged period. Farmers use a supplementary feed mixture of Soya Bean Cake, Ground Nut Oil Cake, Rice Bran, and Fish Meal to promote optimal growth. Using feed bags to reduce waste can also help ensure proper growth and reduce costs. Stunting of fish fingerlings has been shown to improve growth and survivability in grow-out ponds, resulting in higher yields. Access to quality fingerlings, market demand, and best management practices are critical for success. Stunted fingerlings could be a practical solution to address the problems of limited fingerling availability and high production costs in aquaculture. Multiple stockings and multiple harvesting are cost-effective methods to increase fish production and enhance pond productivity. Farmers need to follow best management practices and implement sustainable practices to minimize environmental and community impacts.