Processing aspects of Indian mackerel: a review Item Type article Authors Balachandran, K.K.; Vijayan, P.K. Download date 02/10/2021 10:52:26 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/33702 PART I GENERAL PROCESSING ASPECTS OF INDIAN MACKEREL A REVIEW K. K. BALACHANDRAN & P. K. V.a..J.ax.a.L'; Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin-682003 Indian mackerel belongs to the family Kerala. The important centres of landing Scombridae and the genus Rastrelliger. along this region are Malwan, Karwar, The Indian mackerel, Rastrelliger kana­ Ma1pe, Mockapatnam, Cannanore, Te11i­ gurta (Cuvier), is a pelagic shoaling fish cherry, Calicut, Tanur and Ponnani. widely distributed in the Indo Pacific Mackerel shoals appearing sporadically region with maximum abundance in on the east coast are exploited at Indian coasts. Another species, R. bra­ centres like Mandaparn, Nagapattinarn, chysoma (Bleeker), also is reported from Madras, Kakinada, Pudimadaka and the Andamans in Indian waters. Visakhapatnam (Narayana Rao, 1970). However, the former is the species that supports the fishery in India Fishing. (Nair, 1970). Fishing for mackerel is generaJJy done from hand-rowed dug-out canoes Around India R. kanagurta is well­ called 'adam' or 'vanchi' of 9.8 - 10·7 m. known to occur all along the east and west iong with 3..:..5 tonnes ·displacement usually coasts in inshore waters upto 25 metres, empi0yed for operating bag nets. A from Kathiawar in the north-western smaller type canoe called 'thoni' of about coast ·to Calcutta in the north-eastern 7.3 m. long and 2 tonnes capacity is used coast. Trawlers operating from Veraval, for drifc net, gill net ·and cast net Bombay, Karwar, Mangalore, Cochin and fishing. On the Canara and Konkan Calcutta have obtained ·the species from coasts, along with dug-out1 canoes, special deeper regions in the continental shelf type flat bottomed out rigger boats are used (Balakrishnan, 1970). However, the bulk exclusively for the operation of 'rampani', of the catch, on an average 95%, is a bagless beach seine. Five types of gears obtained from the west coast, intensive are generally in use, viz; bag nets (boat fishing being confined to the area from seines), drag nets (beach seines), gill Retnagiri in Maharashtra to Ponnani in nets, drift nets and cast nets. Among Vot, 13 No. 2 1976 81 'Baladiandran & Vijayan: 'Processing aspects o/ Indian maclterel these the most important gear is the TABLE I boat seine which includes ayilakolli vala, Annual landings of mackerel in relation odam vala, paithu vala and madi vala to total marine landings of Kerala and kolli bala and paithu (Quantity in tonnes) bala of South Canara. - Landing of Total marine Season. mackerel landing On the west coast some shoals of mackerel compnsmg younger fish first 1970 1,37,607 10,77,466 start appearing with the outbreak of 1971 2,04,575 11,61,389 south west monsoon which is followed 1972 1,08,97l by shoals of slightly bigger fish. The 9,80,049 fishery of the west coast generally extends 1973 79,423 12,20,240 from September to April and its 1974 37,462 12,17,797 appearance exhibits variations in diff­ erent regions. At Karwar the fishery starts only by October extending upto February or March, whereas along the 1. Delays in the onset of monsoon Kerala coast it starts earlier as also lasts are often followed by delays in longer than at Mysore and Maharashtra the fishing season. coasts. On the east coast the fishing ii. Peak landings generally coincide season is much longer at Tamil Nadu with the period when temperature, coast with peak catches in the third salinity and specific gravity of the quarter whereas at the Andhra coast the surface water starts rising after fishing is comparatively shorter. It is reaching their miniq1a during the the shortest along the Orissa coast with maximum landing during the first quarter south west monsoon period on (Narayana Rao, op. cit.). the west coast and also with or following the plankton abundance in this area. Landing. Wide fluctuations have been noticed iii. Variations in the pattern of coastai in the landing of mackerel. Whereas its currents. contribution to the total marine landing in the country was around 20% in 1971, iv. Sudden al}d localized monospecific the figure fell to as low as around 3% blooming of several plankters adv­ m 1974 (Table I). ersely affecting the prospects of a good mackerel fishery. Physical, chemical and biological pheno­ mena associated with the environment Utilization. are known to affect the mackerel fishery. Though mackerel is generally cheaper The following gives an account of some compared to other table fish like seer, of the principal factors affecting the pomfret etc., it is equally nutritious and mackerel fishery (Narayana Rao~ op. cit.). is greatly in demand as a table fish. 82 Fish. Technol. 'Bulacfiandran & V ijayan: Processin:J aspects of Indian lltacl'terel TABLE II such products used to be exported to *Proximate composition of mackerel Ceylon. As far as preservation of mackerel Moisture 73.45% is concerned curing used to be the most important process applied and a good Protein 20.95% amount of technological research has Fat 3.29% been carried out in this :field. Different Ash 1.66% methods of fish curing practised along the Indian coasts have been detailed in the Agricultural Marketing in India (1951) *Venkataraman and Chari (1951) and later by Pillai, Valsan . and Nair (1956) and Pillai and Kamasastri (1958). It is a rich source of animal protein Pillai, Valsan and Nair (op. cit.) carried with comparatively lower percentage of out an extensive study on the chemical fat. The proximate composition of quality of commercial samples of cured mackerel is given in Table H. fish including mackerel processed by different methods. Rao, Nair and Valsan (1958) carried out preliminary studies on Though in the past more than 50% of pit curing of mackereL They proposed the mackerel landed used to be salt a ratio 1:5 of salt to fish and salting cured, in recent years its consumption in period of 2 days and found that pit fresh condition has immensely increased curing improved the organoleptic pro­ thanks to the increased demand from perties of the fish imparting a charact­ the interior parts of the country and eristic flavour and softening flesh. However the developments in the distribution their fixation of the proportion of salt system like employment of trucks for had been made on an arbitrary basis. transport, provision of motorable roads Later, Lahiry, Sen and Visweswariah connecting landing centres with interior (1961 ), working on the effect of varying markets, ready availability of ice at proportions of salt to dressed fish on landing centres and the employment of the quality of sun dried mackerel pro­ improved know-how in handling, prese­ posed that a ratio of 1:7 or 1:8 would rvation and transportation etc. be adequate if the salted fish is dried at the end of 18-24 hours' salting without Curing. stacking. When dried to about 40% moisture Since mackerel, like sardines, is a level the sodium chloride content would seasonal fishery and the bulk of the be more or less sufficient to saturate landings takes place in a narrow strip its moisture content and would not be of time preservation of excess catch in solid phase, thus imparting a better often becomes necessary. Since early appearance to the product. Sen, Viswe­ times a substantial portion of the mackerel swariah and Lahiry (1961) reported that catch used to be salt-cured by dry or at a salt to fish ratio of 1:5 maximum wet process or pickled according to water loss took place in 24-26 hours Colombo curing method. A portion of for gutted fish and in 18 hours for split VoL 13 No. 2 1976 83 'Balad!andran & Vijayan: Processing aspects of Indian macfierel open fish. They found that this pro..: heavy salting. For the control of redde­ portion of salt was sufficient to saturate ning and mold growth usually met with the moisture content of fish and, as such, in stored dry-cured fish, Rao and Valsan any excess amount of salt will be in (1962) suggested dipping eviscerated and the solid phase and so, useless. The split open fish in 4% propionic acid for same authors (196la) carried out studies 10 minutes followed by salting (1 :4 salt to to evaluate the efficacy of certain bact­ fish) for 48 hours and subsequent sun­ eriostatic and fungicidal agents such as drying. Storage life could be extended CTC, sorbic acid, sodium propionate and to 62 weeks as against the normal 19 sodium benzoate on the keeping quality weeks by this method. of the product. In sample prepared in the laboratory with 30-40% moisture redden­ Pickling mackerel in saturated brine ing or bacterial spoilage was observed. fortified with 0.5% and 0.25% propionic CTC (50 ppm.) followed by salting preven­ acid has been found useful for keeping ted browning to a large extent. Dip in the fish in good condition for periods of 10% sodium propionate for 5 minutes one year and 5 months respectively (Valsan, checked the fungal attack. Lahiry, Sen 1967). Valsan (1968) further suggested and Visweswariah (1961 a) studied the that by smearing a mixture of 3% sodium effect of different chemical agents on propionate, 0.5% butylated hydroxy anisole tenderisation of the meat of sun-dried and 0.5% sodium sulfate in dry powdered mackerel and concluded that whereas acids salt over cured fish at 10% level the had a negative effect sodium carbonate, product can be kept for 9-12 months free sodium bicarbonate and sodium · hexame­ from any visible signs of spoilage, bro­ taphosphate improved the texture at wning or rancidity.