Fermentation of Fish 259
prepared from fresh or rotten raw materials. Generally, high level
of salt is used in case of rotten raw material.
Constraints of existing process
Fermentation of Puntius to produce shidhal is a traditional
process. Proper sanitation and public health measures are
completely lacking in both fish handling and processing. The
constraints of the existing process can be summarized as follows:
• Harvested fish are not iced during transportation and
preprocessing. Very often the raw material fish are
spoiled. Physical appearance and sensory parameters can
not detect the quality of fish until or unless the quality
degradation cross the 50% limit. Only after 50% spoilage
of a fish, sensory attributes like odour, physical
appearance, gill and eye conditions, muscle texture, etc.
can detect the quality. It means that up to 50% of
spoilage, a fish is still considered to be apparently fresh
through such parameter reading. About 100-160 kg of
fish are transported by a single bamboo basket at a time.
Again, the pressure exerted by the top fishes on the
bottom fish eventually deteriorates the quality of the 50%
of the fish in the basket. Due to use of such rotten fish,
desired texture, colour and flavour are not achieved in the
final products. Poor raw material decreases the market
value, as well as the shelf life. Most of the processors are
ignorant about the impact of low quality raw material on
product shelf life.
• The fish are not washed after harvest. They remain
unwashed even after scaling, gutting or oil collection.
Parts of entrails remain attached to the abdomen while
collecting oils. These along with gut enzymes deteriorate
the quality of fish.
• The fish are kept piled on the soil/sand, on unclean mat or
racks while collecting oil. Mats or racks used for fish
drying are not cleaned after each operation. Therefore,
260 Participatory Training of Trainers
serious bacterial contamination occurs. Wind action,
human activity or grazing of animals spread dust and dirt
on the fish. Drying on sand and mat also contaminate raw
materials;
• Processors and workers do not follow regulation of
sanitation and public health. Unclean hand, body, clothes
often serve the basis for contamination;
• Fish are not often dried well before fermentation. Dried
fish are generally stored in polythene sac for 2-6 months
before fermentation. Harmful insecticides like DDT,
Basudin, etc. are used during storage;
• Adequate soaking time is not maintained which may
cause uncontrolled fermentation;
• Fish are pressed in the vat by a bare leg. Sweat, dirt,
dandruff, dropping hair, etc may come in contact of the
product during processing. Pressing by leg is completely
unacceptable from both the ethical, aesthetic and hygienic
point of view;
• Fermented products are stored and transported in
polythene sacs or bamboo baskets. These all are not very
useful methods. Moisture is reabsorbed in the open
products at different stages of storage, transportation and
marketing. This deteriorates the quality and reduces the
shelf life of the products;
Improved methods for shidhal processing
The quality and shelf life of shidhal can be improved by
improving the methods of handling, practices of processing and
adequacy in packaging, such as:
• Fish should be washed with tube well water after harvest
and iced adequately in appropriate ice box. Low-cost ice-
box developed for transportation of iced fish can be used
for this purpose;
• Scales, fins, gills and gut should be removed;
Fermentation of Fish 261
• Fish should be washed again after collecting oils. Oils
should be collected and preserved in clean container;
• Earthen vat should be cleaned, dried and oil-treated
adequately. In case of insufficient fish oil, other animal
or vegetable oils can be used;
• Fish should be dried on the rack or in box or ring tunnel
covered by the mosquito net to prevent blow fly and other
insect infestations and also contamination from sand or
dust. Harmful pesticides should not be used;
• To prevent dried Puntius from insect attack 1% red chilli
powder can be spread over the fish while drying or during
storing;
• Fish should be dried very well so that the moisture level is
reduced to 16-18 %;
• Adequately dried fish should be soaked in water for not
more than 20-25 minutes. Fish in the vat should not be
pressed by leg. Right hand wearing gloves can be an
alternative. To get a good result, a roll of used clean
clothes tied up on the tip of a wooden pole can be used
for pressing;
• Fermented shidhal should be packaged in high density
polyethylene, polypropylene packet for storage,
transportation and marketing. This type of packaging will
protect the product from bacterial contamination,
moisture reabsorption and rodent or insect attacks;
• Packaged products should be stored in clean, dry and cool
place.
Process of Nga-pi
Nga-pi is a fermented fish product in which the original fish is
reduced to the form of a paste. The fermentation involves the
breakdown of wet protein into simpler substances which are
262 Participatory Training of Trainers
themselves stable at normal temperatures. This breakdown is partial
and is controlled by the addition of salt. Typically, the fish or shrimp
are ground to a paste with a little amount of salt. The paste is
subjected to alternate sun-drying and grinding before being packaged
to mature in an air-tight container. The moisture content of a typical
paste varies from 35 to 50%. Therefore, almost half of the water
present in the fresh raw material will have been lost during
processing. A good quality Nga-pi is produced from Acetes shrimp
with small proportion of Mysid shrimp. The yield varies from 40 to
50% of raw shrimp. A typical analysis of good quality Nga-pi is :
pH 7.6-7.8, moisture 27-40%, ash (including salt) 20 – 24 %, salt
13 – 18 % and protein 30 - 40% (Clucas and Ward, 1996).
Preparation of Nga-pi in the Rakhaing villages of Cox’s Bazar
i. Smaller Acetes and Mysid shrimps are mainly used for the
preparation of Nga-pi. Sometimes white fish fry,
fingerlings, small fish and other bigger shrimps are also used
for different products.
ii. Unsalted and un-iced small shrimps are carried to the
processing site (dyke of Warter Board) by bamboo basket
from the boat. Sometimes rickshaw van is used for
transportation. Mats made of split bamboo are kept on the
slope of the dyke. Small amount of salt is spread over the
mat (roughly 1 kg salt for a 12 x 20 feet mat) and then
shrimps are spread in thin layers over it. Salt treatment
varies with the types of shrimp. Acetes and larger shrimps
do not require such pretreatment with salt.
iii. Shrimps on the mat are dried in the sun for the whole day.
To protect from blow fly infestation, pesticides may be used,
mainly during the rainy season. There is no fixed dose, a
common practice is 10 ml of ‘Nogos’ diluted to about 10 L
of water. The solution is sprinkled over the shrimp by hand
sprayer. Semi dried shrimp is ground in wooden mortar with
salt at the following night. The amount of salt varies from 1
to 2 kg per 40 kg shrimp (2.5 – 5%).