Evaluation of nutritional and hygienic quality of herring fish and its products

Abstract EN

Atotal of 100 samples of imported frozen herring fish and its products (smoked, canned and herring fillet* 25 samples of each, were collected from different retail stores in Alexandria governorate to evaluate their chemical quality.

The results revealed that fat and protein contents had significantly increased in herring fillet and smoked herring with a mean value of 9.024 ± 1.764 and 36 ± 2.541.

Concerning manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn), canned herring showed the highest mean concentrations (0.203 + 0.095 and 1.453 ± 0.285, respectively).

In case of copper (Cu) and Iron (Fe), smoked and frozen herring had the highest mean values (0.761 + 0.04 and 7.845 + 0.330, respectively).

Regarding fatty acids composition, frozen herring had a significant increase in concentration of Eicosenoic fatty acid with a mean value of 19.816 ± 0.525, while canned herring showed the highest mean concentration of palmitic acid (19.084 ± 0.612).

Herring fillet showed the highest value of Linoleic acid (14.994 ± 0.109).

Regarding saturated fatty acids, canned herring had the highest value (38.074 ± 0.218) while herring fillet showed the highest unsaturated fatty acids (74.626 ± 2.810).

The highest total unsaturated fatty acids was in frozen herring (24.8 ± 0.123).

Concerning fat changes, acid number, free fatty acids, conjugated dienes, thiobarbeturic acid, were highest in herring fillet (16.342 + 0.509, 8.17 ± 0.255, 0.840 + 0.034 and 4.5 ± 0.052, respectively).

In case of acidity (pH) and total volatile nitrogen, the highest pH value was in frozen herring (6.3 ± 0.081), while the highest total volatile nitrogen was in smoked herring (29.321 ± 0.049).

Regarding cadmium, lead mercury, the highest mean concentrations of cadmium and lead, were in herring fillet (0.07 + 0.03 and 0.39 ± 0.18) whereas and the highest concentration of mercury was in canned herring (0.08 ± 0.04).