TITLE:
Effects of Drying on the Biochemical Composition of Atherina boyeri from the Tunisian Coast
AUTHORS:
Mohamed Ali Ben Smida, Alěs Bolje, Anissa Ouerhani, Manel Barhoumi, Hassen Mejri, M’hamed El Cafsi, Rafika Fehri-Bedoui
KEYWORDS:
Biochemical Composition, Solar Drying, Drying Experimental, Atherina boyeri
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.5 No.14,
August
22,
2014
ABSTRACT: The
effects of solar and experimental drying on the protein concentration and total
fatty acid (TFA) content of the muscles of Atherina boyeri (sand smelt) were studied. The
percentage of protein was 18.3% for fresh fish and 14.2% for sun-dried fish, while
TFA content was 4.9 g/100g and 0.5 g/100g. After the drying experiment, the
percentage of protein was 23% and the fatty acid (FA) content was 2.8 g/100g.
The results show that natural or experimental drying favors saturated fatty
acids. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are less sensitive to heat
than the n-6 PUFAs. From a nutritional point of view, it seems that the drying
conditions, where parameters are T = 50℃, moisture = 30% and air speed = 2 m/s,
would be the most beneficial for the preservation of sand smelt.