Effect of smoking technologies on nutritional values and concentration levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked fish (Mormyrus caschive and Oreochromis niloticus) of Terekeka, South Sudan

Abstract

Effect of smoking technologies on nutritional quality and concentration levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Mormyrus caschive and Oreochromis niloticus were determined to enable adoption and utilization of suitable facility that maintains good quality for sustainable supply of nutritious fish products in South Sudan. A total of 72 fresh M. caschive and O. niloticus were purchased, of which 24 were iced for reference and the other 48 were divided into two groups for pit and chorkor smoking. Experimental smoking of fish samples was conducted twice in a randomized design. Fish samples were analyzed for nutritional values using standard methods of the association of official analytical chemists and levels of PAHs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results revealed; the two smoking methods concentrated crude protein, fat and ash contents. However, fish smoked using chorkor had significantly higher nutritional values than fish smoked using pit kiln. About seven types of PAHs comprising of low and medium molecular weight were recorded from the two smoked fish species. Naphthalene and fluorene were the two dominant PAHs with fish smoked using pit kiln having significantly higher concentration levels of naphthalene (5.86±4.16 µg/kg) and fluorene (3.83±0.10 µg/kg) than fish smoked using chorkor oven. The study concluded that chorkor oven has better quality smoked fish than pit. Hence, its utilization and adoption for artisanal fisheries in South Sudan is recommended.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Contents of Four Species of Smoked Fish from Different Sites in Senegal

“…However, these values are lower than those obtained by [ 8 ] on smoked fish species from south Nigeria, the levels of which were estimated at 204 µ g/kg for Clarias gariepinus and 288 µ g/kg for the species Ethmalosa fimbriata . The mean value (8.0 µ g/kg) of B(a)P observed in the samples is much higher than that found in [ 11 ] whose concentration was below the detection limit (0.01 µ g/kg) but lower than that (52.7 µ g/kg) obtained in [ 17 ] on smoked fish species.…”

“…Higher concentrations of the sum of PAHs, between 1295 and 2020 µ g/kg, were obtained in [ 20 ]. The average content of ∑4PAHSs in the different samples studied is much higher than that obtained in [ 11 ] which was estimated at 12.47 µ g/kg. The total PAH content recommended by the European Commission is 12 µ g/kg.…”

“…This artisanal processing technique is generally known to generate and increase the level of PAHs in food. Moreover, many studies have shown the presence of PAHs in smoked fish [ 10 , 11 ]. Today, the presence of these PAHs in food products, especially smoked fish, is a subject of major concern.…”