EFFECTS OF PACKAGING MATERIALS ON THE SHELF-LIFE STABILITY OF DRIED CLUPEA HARENGUS FISH POWDER

Abstract

Fish powder is a valuable source of nutrition but its susceptibility to oxidation and moisture absorption makes its shelf-life an issue. This study examined the effect of different packaging materials on the shelf-life stability of Clupea harengus (Atlantic herring) fish powder. Two different samples of Clupea harengus (A- was bought already dried from the market and B- was bought fresh and dried in an oven) were compared regarding their performance with the packaging materials used under adequate storage conditions. The following packaging materials were used: Aluminum foil pouch, Plastic container, Polythene bag with seal tape, Vacuum-seal bag, and Ziploc. Standard biological methods were used to determine the total number of microbial counts in the samples before and after packaging. Isolates present were the Muococcus Sp., Mucor Sp., Saccharomyces Sp., Proteus Sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus nidularis etc. The study revealed that sample A (purchased market-dried) had a higher total viable count compared to sample B (self-dried). In comparison with packaging materials, the Aluminum foil pouch had better keeping qualities at 28 days after packaging with the mean count of 5.5×10³cfu/gm and 4.7×10³cfu/gm across both samples respectively. The plastic packaging container had the least keeping qualities with the mean count of 7.8×10³ and 5.6×10³cfu/gm across both samples respectively. However, all values obtained were below the ICMSF (International Commission on Microbiology Safety for Food) recommended value of 5.0×10⁵cfu/gm.