Debnath, Sumon, Gulshan Ara Latifa, Shuva Bhowmik, Shanzida Islam, and Mohajira Begum.
Abstract
A study was performed to analyze the biochemical composition (moisture, protein, fat, ash, salt value, iron, calcium and phosphorus) of raw and salted hilsa. Pure (with less than 1% impurities) and clean dry salt was used (fish weight : salt weight = 3 : 1) for salting the hilsa. The nutrients values of the hilsa from two different regions were significantly (p ＜ 0.05) varied. The biochemical compositions were also different before and after the processing of the hilsa. Riverine hilsa contains relatively more moisture (57.79 ± 0.51%) and protein (15.65 ± 0.50%) than marine hilsa. Fat (16.39 ± 0.51%) and salt (1.80 ± 0.14%) contents are higher in marine hilsa; whereas the ash (7.88 ± 0.35%) content was higher in the riverine hilsa. Minerals like iron (4.92 ± 0.32 ㎎/100 g) and calcium (480.02 ± 6.73 ㎎/100 g) remain in large amounts in the marine hilsa, but the phosphorus (112.36 ± 4.40 ㎎/100 g) content remains at a high level in the riverine hilsa. In addition, the protein (raw condition, 18.54 ± 0.46%, riverine; 17.12 ± 0.42%, marine and salted condition, 32.54 ± 0.5%, riverine; 27.31 ± 0.48%, marine) and fat (raw condition, 15.41 ± 0.46%, riverine; 19.07 ± 0.51%, marine and salted condition, 11.58 ± 0.39%, riverine; 13.6 ± 0.55%, marine) contents were higher in the abdominal region of the riverine and marine hilsa both in the raw and salted conditions than in the head and caudal region.