Abstract

Modern life style demands convenient Ready To Eat (RTE) and nutritious food. A nutritious RTE fish spread with high protein (12-14%), low fat (3-5%) and no sugar was developed using Bombay Duck (Harpadon nehereus ). The shelf life of fish spread was extended by 60-days using combination of cooking, gamma irradiation (5kGy) and chilled storage (4 °C) whereas, non-irradiated fish spread had a shelf-life of 8-days. The product was analyzed in terms of microbial, biochemical, organoleptic and nutritional content. The microbial load of control sample increased to 7.35 ± 0.43 log cfu/g after 8-days indicating spoilage; while irradiated samples showed a reduced microbial growth during entire storage period; gradual increase in biochemical indices but no significant change in the organoleptic or nutritional quality of radiation processed samples during storage. Thus, the developed fish spread with longer shelf-life is suitable for all consumers including infant, young, old, diabetics and health conscious.

Keywords:RTE; Fish Spread; Nutritious; Shelf-life; Harpodon nehereus; Gamma irradiation