Effect of Some Selected Fossil Fuels on the Nutrients Composition and Consumer Acceptability on Smoked-Dried Redbelly Tilapia (Coptodon zillii)

Abstract

Fuel wood is among the most expensive items in fish processing, knowledge on smoking efficiency of various agricultural wastes particularly sugarcane bagasse could be substitute for wood for fish smoking thereby reducing the cost, the problem of deforestation and eventually control of environmental pollution. The study was aimed to assess the effects on nutritional composition and cost-benefit analysis of using ebony wood and sugarcane bagasse as fuel sources for smoke drying of fish. The result of this study showed that the highest (65.15±0.20) crude protein was recorded in Coptodon zillii smoked with ebony wood and the least (16.08±0.13) in fresh C. zillii. Similarly, for ash, crude fat and nitrogen free extracts were observed, and the better moisture reduction (4.28±0.03) was recorded in C. zillii smoked with bagasse and least (3.38±0.08) from C. zillii smoked with ebony wood. The differences in the proximate composition of the smoked C. zillii using ebony wood and sugarcane bagasse were significant (p<0.05). The organoleptic assessment of the smoked C. zillii using ebony wood and sugarcane bagasse were significantly different (p<0.05). The cost (₦150) for smoking with sugarcane was less with an equal quality with the cost (₦250) for smoking with ebony wood which is not environmental friendly.