Bangladesh Fish Processing

Abstract: Bangladesh fishery industry contributes 4.39% to the GDP, 23.00% to the agricultural GDP, and 6% to the total export value, and modern fish processing in this country needs new fish processing equipment and technologies.

I. Fishery Is A Superior Industry in Bangladesh
Bangladesh has 4.7 million hectares of inland water areas, and 166,000 square kilometers marine areas for exclusive economic zone. At the same time, the unique climate of available sunlight and temperature throughout the year as well as water fertility in Bangladesh offer advantaged conditions to fish growth and production.
Bangladeshis are traditionally fish-eating people. Fishes play a crucial role in the Bangladesh diet, and fish supply in Bangladesh meets 60% of the domestic animal protein consumption. Fishery is an important industry in Bangladesh that contributes 4.39% to the GDP, 23.00% to the agricultural GDP, and 6% to the total export value. In 2010-2011, around 3.1 million metric tons of fish was caught in the country, comprising 2.5 million metric tons of freshwater fish and 0.6 million metric tons of saltwater fish. From 2011 to 2012, the total amount of aquatic products is 3.26 million tons, and the amount of foreign exchange earning by exporting aquatic products is 2.46%.
Fish (including shrimp and prawn) is the second most valuable agricultural crop, and its production conduces to the livelihoods and employment. In Bangladesh, there are 1.3 million people directly working by fishery for a living, and the other 10 million people doing the work related to fishery.

II. Bangladesh Holds Fishery Resources with Wide Variety
Bangladesh’s fishery production can be classified into marine fishery production, and inland fishery production that is divided into open waters and enclosed waters. Thus, based on the production water areas, Bangladesh’s fish resources can be divided into marine and freshwater fishes & shrimps, 300 species of fish and 20 species of shrimps involved.
1. The most common species is ilish, a kind of national fish.
2. The major and minor indigenous carps are katla, rohu, mrigel, kalbasu; and bata, reba, nandin, gonia. Introduced exotic species are silver carps, grass carp, bighead carp, black carp, common carp, silver barb, Tilapia and Mahseer. Among these carps, rohu, katla, mrigal, and silver carp account for about 74% of pond production.
3. Other major culture species in Bangladesh include the grass carp, common carp, tilapia and Pangas.
4. The shrimps have two kinds: the brackish water shrimp, like the sugpo prawn, brown shrimp, Indian prawn; the fresh water shrimp, like the macrobrachium rosenbergii.
Fisheries Resources 

III. Fish Products Processing in Bangladesh
3.1 Processing on fishing boatUsually, the deep-sea fishing trawlers and mechanized fish boats are equipped with basic fish processing machines and cold-store facilities to manage the fishes on the spot. But the small-scale (non mechanized) fishing boat has no fish processing equipment, the caught fishes and shrimps are stored with ice, and then they are delivered to fish processing plants or distributors to have further processing.
3.2 Fish processing plants
Before 1971, there were 9 fish processing plants in Bangladesh, and all of these plants were engaged in fish products production for exporting to Europe and the USA. In 1972-1984, 40 processing plants were installed by the private sector mostly under government initiation and bank loan support to promote the vision of exports to Europe and the USA. In 1985-1998, 72 more processing plants were established by the private sector for processing and exporting shrimp and fish products for an extended business around the world.

There are 133 aquatic products processing plants in Bangladesh currently, of which 74 plants are under regular surveillance by EU member state and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials to ensure food safety requirements are met. And most of the processing plants are located in port cities (Khulna and Chittagong). In the mean time, HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) has been introduced in the plants for fish processing.
3.3 Modern fish processing needs new machinery and technology
With the development of fishery industry of Bangladesh, the need for new machinery and technology of modern fish products processing is obvious. So the fish processing plants in the country keep introducing as well as developing advanced facilities and technologies to help a high-quality fish products production. And the fish processing machines has been improved to meet the international standard, such as the fish cleaning machine (fish should be washed and cleaned properly before handling in plants), fish descaling machine, fish skinning machine, and fish meat separating machine, etc.; as a traditional practice in Bangladesh, dried fish and fish meal production is also bettered a lot nowadays by using advanced fish meat drying machines; frozen fishes and shrimps is one of the major fish products of Bangladesh, the advanced refrigerating equipment is necessary.

IV. Fish Products Exports of Bangladesh
The main import countries of Bangladesh fish products are European countries, the US and Japan, and these three markets has a 98% import share of the total export value in Bangladesh. The rest 2% fishery products are mainly exported to Southeast Asian countries and Middle East countries.
Modern fish processing of Bangladesh is done almost entirely for the export market, with shrimp processing holding almost 80% of that segment. In July/June fiscal year 2011-2012, Bangladesh exported $598 million worth of fish and seafood, with shrimp contributing $472 million of the total. And the export product scale comprises 72% unprocessed products (frozen whole), 24% prepared/processed and 4% other products (frozen freshwater fish). The major aquatic products for exports in Bangladesh are frozen prawns, IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) prawns and white meat fishes, PUD and P&D prawn pieces, packed frozen prawns for retail, fresh and frozen hilsa herring, dried/salted and dehydrated fishes, fresh fishes and crabs, and small amount of fishes and shrimps that have additional values.

Contact Email: amisymeatmachinery@gmail.com

How to Manufacture Fish Balls Industrially

Overview of Fish Balls

Fish ball is a popular traditional food product in Southeast Asia and are served in various applications, and it can be cooked or served in soup, fried, and so on. Each country has their own name for a fish ball, such as Yu Huan in Singapore, Yu Wan in China, Bebola Ikan in Malaysia and Indonesia, Nga Soke in Myanmar, Bola Bola in the Philippines, and Look Chin Pla in Thailand.
The basic ingredients of fish ball are fish, flour and flavorings such as salt and sugar, can also be used. The proportions depend on the quality and type to be made. The white fish balls found in some traditional Hong Kong restaurants are made using fresh fish, while street style are made using cheap fish and a mixture of flour to reduce costs. However, how to produce fish balls from fresh fishes, please go on reading, you will understand.

How to Manufacture Quality Fish Balls Industrially
The raw material including raw fish or frozen fish meat is used for making fish balls. Besides that, typical ingredients used for the manufacture of fish ball are salt (3-5%), sugar (3%), starch (3%), MSG (1%), and water (40%) in addition to the primary ingredient generally. These ingredients are usually stored at room temperature. The ingredients are mixed during the chopping step to obtain the appropriate texture, taste, and flavor of the finished product. A fish ball processing line for industrial manufacture is as following sequentially: preparation of fish flesh, meat grinding/chopping and mixing, forming fishballs, molding and boiling, cooling, and packaging.

1. Preparation of fish flesh
If the raw material is raw fish, the fish should be scaled by fish scaling machine which can remove the fish scale in a automatic and sanitary way. Then it goes on fish skinning by fish skinning machine and removing fish bones by fish meat separator machine. If the raw material is frozen fish meat, the frozen fish meat should be sliced by frozen meat slicing machine. Then the fish flesh will be put into bowl cutter machine for grinding processing.
2. Grinding/chopping and mixing the flesh of fish with other ingredients
A bowl cutter machine or a high-speed vacuum cutter machine is used to chop the flesh of fish and homogeneously mix all ingredients. The process breaks down and loosens the muscle fibers. Next, salt is added to extract salt-soluble fish proteins. The amount of added salt is usually 3-5% by weight, depending on consumer preferences. After adding salt, the other ingredients and ice water can be mixed to enhance the taste and flavor of the finished products. Some manufactures add salt at the final stage of chopping as a way to float raw fish balls without tangling. The use of 3-5% salt in fish balls appears to be a little too high, but it would be necessary for fish balls traded in a plastic bag with water as a packing solution.
3. Forming fish balls
Once chopping is completed, the paste is transferred fast to a meatball making machine to produce the fish balls. And the core meatball machine can be used too, which is the equipment for all kinds of meat forming into balls with stuffing inside. This machine can produce fish balls of any size according to different requests.

4. Molding and boiling of fish balls
After the paste is formed into a fish ball shape, the fish balls go into a molding groove with water directly, then fish balls are cooked in hot water. The water in the meatball molding groove and cooking groove are heated by the steam pipeline, the water temperature is controlled by the high-temperature and high-pressure valve and gives the temperature of water in the molding groove around 75 degree centigrade, the temperature of water in the cooking groove about 90 degree centigrade. The water circulation system makes the water in the molding groove into the flowing water and the meatballs flow with the flowing water towards the end of the molding groove. The flowing procedure is controlled by the control valve to realize the ideal meatball molding effect. And fish balls are cooked in the cooking groove for 10 minutes. The products then have a smoother surface. Cooking also serves to pasteurize the product.
5. Cooling or freezing fish balls according to the demand
After cooking in the hot water, the fish balls are conveyed into the cooling groove to cool quickly. The water in the cooling groove is open, while the cold water flows in, the warm water flows out, in order to keep the water temperature around 25 degree centigrade. While the majority is traded as a chilled product, fish balls are often subjected to a freezing process (-18℃) to preserve the wholesomeness and quality of the product. The product then remains frozen until consumption.
6. Packing of fish balls
Fish balls are packed manually or mechanically in various containers. Raw fish balls which are not cooked but modeled, are packed in chilled water or brine solution and stored in the refrigerator until delivery. Good packaging enhances storage stability, distribution, and marketing. The packaging materials prevent dehydration during storage and ensure product quality until time of consumption. Fish balls may also be vacuum packed to extend shelf life according to the demand.

Contact Email: amisymeatmachinery@gmail.com

Meat Patty Industry Analysis

1. Meat Patty Overview
Meat patties are usually made of ground meats. Originally, meat patty is made from beef (preferably lean cow meat), but nowadays, the meat patty industry has developed patties made from other meats. Chicken and mutton patties have become more common; at the same time, many other animal meats can be used to make meat patty, i.e. fish & seafood, wild game.

1.1 The market of meat patty served as hamburger
In commercial fast-food outlets, the meat patty always goes with bread rolls or buns as a typical serve, which is a kind of popular food around the world, and the common name is hamburgers or simply burgers, which has a big welcome among the young people. Meat patty also can be consumed individually by BBQ, or pan-frying home. And for home consumption, hand-made meat patties are commonly used.
Originated in Germany, Burgers are a staple in most American’s diets, and hamburger has been a favorite in the US for more than a century. According to Technomic’s most recent “Burger Consumer Trend Report”, there is a majority eating burgers at least weekly in the US. Burgers popularity has moved to numerous other countries around the world for the development of fast food industry. The meat patty served as hamburgers is available for many fast food services.
The rising teenage population and improving economic conditions have driven the revitalization of fast food industry, and the hamburgers are expected to be at the forefront of this expansion, which means a great meat patty market.
1.2 Alternatives to burger patties
Food-service customers are likely looking for healthier alternatives to meat patties. As a result, food services are promoting vegetarian and poultry patties, as well as the meat patties made from blends of beef and other ingredients of similar textures. Offering alternatives to meat patties has become more mainstream, as some chains of burger have rolled out vegetable patties for those with dietary restrictions or meat eaters looking for healthier options.

2. Meat Patties Industry Production

2.1 Manufacturers can produce meat patty with different mouth feel
Except for the types of meats used, the texture of the meat grind is also important for meat patty mouth feel. In the production of meat patty, fine or medium or coarse grind is chosen by patty manufacturers for creating different tastes.
♦ Fine grind gives a smooth mouth feel, because fine ground meat is of small fineness and most of the natural sinew or gristle is undetectable;
♦ Coarse grind has a rough and chunky mouth feel, because coarsely ground meat is of large fineness and the natural sinew is not completely ground;
♦ Medium grind is in the middle with a rougher mouth feel but less chunkiness that is got from coarse grind.
As the fine grind provides great eating experience, it is the most popular and versatile grind.
2.2 Most meat patties are made from ground beef

The ground beef is considered by many to be the most popular meat for making patties. Most patties in the supermarkets and fast food restaurant chains are made from beef trimmings ground up with added fat, and by-products are most used. There are four kinds of typical examples of by-products:
♦ The muscle under animals’ skin that shakes to swat away files;
♦ The meat and sinew that are scrapped from animal bones after the primal cut is collected;
♦ The trimmings extracted from neck bones and leftovers;
♦ The fat from the animal carcass.
2.3 Produce meat patty by ground beef
Taking the Beef Meat Patty as Example to Provide Every Single Operational Procedure.
2.3.1 Fresh/Frozen raw beef receiving and sorting
After the delivery of raw beef to the processing plant, working personnel inspect the beef to ensure there is no visible bones or foreign materials contained, and that the beef does not have an off-odor. Raw beef needs routine test for the presence of bacteria, and sample beef may be taken to estimate its composition of lean-to-fat ratio. Before the beef is ready for grinding on a FIFO (First-In-First-Out) rotational basis, it is normally stored under the same state of refrigeration in which it was received.
2.3.2 Initial/First grinding
The initial/first grinding is to produce “coarse ground” product, and the raw beef has to be visually inspected again for bones or foreign matter before being placed in the meat grinder machine, by which the beef is initially ground. The temperature is monitored and kept as close to 28°F as possible to minimize bacteria growth and to facilitate the forming of patties.
2.3.3 Mixing/Blending
After the initial coarse grind, the beef goes into a meat blender where the raw materials for making patties are mixed and blended. A sample coarsely ground beef is taken to determine a more accurate lean-to-fat ratio, and if the composition needs any adjustment to meet customer specification requirements, it should be made. In this process, some approved food additives, such as salt, seasoning, binders, extenders, vegetable protein product, water, etc. can be added and then thoroughly mixed/blended to ensure a uniform and consistent distribution of all components.
2.3.4 Final/Second grinding
After mixing and blending, the beef is ground for a second time for a more finely ground product used for burgers; usually this is the final grind. Bone chip and gristle eliminators are usually incorporated into the final grinding step, thebone crushing machine is needed at the moment.
2.3.5 Meat patty forming

When the final grinding is finished, the product is taken to make patties by meat patty making/forming machines. At this point or prior, a metal detector is typically used to ensure there are no metal fragments in the finally ground product that may be formed into patties based on specifications for thickness, size and/or weight. If specified, a textured surface may be incorporated as part of the forming process.
---Patty sizes are identified in ounces or number of patties per pound. For example, 4/1 would be four 4-ounce patties per pound.
---Employing different forming moulds, patties can be formed into many shapes, such as round, oval, square, hoagie-style, and home-style/natural.
---Scoring that allows for faster freezing and faster, more even cooking can be done on one or both sides of the meat patty.
2.3.6 Meat patty freezing systems
There are three basic types of freezing systems for meat patties:
---Blast freezing system
Usually, this system is used to freeze the prepackaged meat patties by employing a high velocity blast of cold air with a temperature of -40°F to speed up and finish the freezing process.
---Mechanical freezing system
Mechanical freezing typically is used for Individual Quick Frozen (IQF) by using ammonia as the freezing medium to produce very cold air that is forced at high pressure and intensity over the individual unpacked product.
---Cryogenic freezing system
In the cryogenic freezing system, liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide is used as the freezing agent to freeze ground beef patties. Due to the low temperature in cryogenic freezing, the ground beef patties may have a frosty white surface, which is not a freezer burn.
2.3.7 Storage
If stored at the proper temperature of -40°F, the shelf life for fresh beef patty without vacuum packed is usually 1-3 days; for vacuum packed fresh patties, they are recommend a 14-day shelf life by most manufacturers. To get an optimum quality, the shelf life of frozen beef patty is generally up to 90 days under proper packing and storage conditions with 0°F or even colder temperature.

Contact Email: amisymeatmachinery@gmail.com

Sausage Production Processing Insight

I. Overview of Sausage Making

Sausage

Sausage making originally developed as a means to preserve and transport meat. Primitive societies learned that dried berries and spices could be added to dried meat. By 600-500 BC there is mention of sausages from China, Rome and Greece. The word “sausage” is derived from the Latin word “salsus”, which means salted, or preserved by salting. Sausages and sausage products have since evolved into a wide variety of flavors, textures, and shapes resulting from variations in ingredients and manufacturing processes.
Sausage grew in popularity and brought fame and fortune to many sausage makers and to various cities. Today more than 250 varieties are sold, and many of these can be traced back to the town and country of origin. The contemporary role of sausage fits conveniently into our modern lifestyles as an elegant appetizer for entertaining as well as the main course in quick-and-easy meals. Furthermore, sausages are a relatively safe product to consume because of the added effects of salt, pH, cure, drying and cooking to preserve the product and eliminate harmful bacteria. Sausage is a convenient food available in a great number of varieties and flavors. Sausages are an excellent source of high quality protein, containing all the essential amino acids in appropriate amounts necessary for growth, maintenance and repair of body tissue. Sausage also provides significant amounts of vitamins and minerals.

II. Types of Sausage
Sausages are made from beef, veal, pork, lamb, poultry and wild game, or from any combination of these meats. Sausage making has become a unique blend of old procedures and new scientific, highly-mechanized processes. Traditionally, sausage was formed into a symmetrical shape, but it now can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes to meet consumers’ needs. Sausages can be classified in a variety of ways, but probably the most useful is by how they are processed. Processing methods give sausages easily recognizable characteristics, and the types of sausage are classified as following chart.

III. Sausage Production Processing
In this part, you will go over the main steps which are used to produce standard sausage products, and the main processes used to produce sausages are as followings:
●Selecting ingredients
●Grinding meat ingredients
●Blending the meat and non-meat ingredients
●Stuffing and filling
●Smoking
●Packaging and storage

1. Selecting ingredients
The finished product is only as good as the ingredients it contains. Meat should be fresh, high quality, have the proper lean-to-fat ratio and have good binding qualities. The meat should be clean and not contaminated with bacteria or other microorganisms. In other words, meat used in sausage production should be safe. Selecting spices and seasonings and combining them in proper amounts is important. They must complement each other to create a satisfying product.At the same time,there are many non-meat ingredients that are essential to the sausage making process. These non-meat ingredients stabilize the mixture, and add specific characteristics and flavors to the final product. Ingredients used in fresh sausage include water, salt, and antioxidants, along with traditional spices, seasonings, and flavorings. And The amount of non-meat ingredients, such as spices, is determined by the overall weight of the product mixture.
2. Grinding meat ingredients
The second step in sausage production is grinding the ingredients by meat grinding machine efficiently. The grinding stage reduces the meat ingredients into small, uniformly sized particles. Ground meat is the primary ingredient in a sausage formulation. The characteristics of the meat ingredients used to create the sausage define the type of sausage such as the overall taste, texture, aroma, along with the protein and fat content. Generally, grinding processes will vary according to the manufacturer and the nature of the product. Some sausage products use coarsely ground meats, others use more finely ground meat ingredients. Some manufacturers grind the lean and fat trimmings separately, grinding the lean trimmings to a finer consistency than the fat meats.
3. Blending the meat and non-meat ingredients
Manufacturers carefully control the blending of the meat and non-meat ingredients to create the desired characteristics for a specific sausage formulation. The meat and non-meat ingredients are placed in a meat mixer and thoroughly blended. The blending process must also obtain a uniform distribution of any non-meat ingredients within the product formulation. For example, flavorings, salts, and other ingredients must be consistently mixed throughout a sausage formulation.
4. Stuffing and filling
After the blending is complete, the blended ingredients may be bulk packaged, or they many be extruded into a casing. This process is called stuffing. And the sausage filler machine is the necessary equipment for stuffing kinds of sausages.
5. Smoking 
Smoking is used to dry and cure the meat for making smoked sausage, and impart flavors and aroma to the final product. Smoking was traditionally important because it inhibited bacterial growth on the finished product. A smoke generator creates natural smoke via a carefully controlled burning of hardwood sawdust, wood chips, or logs. However,automatic meat smoking machine has replaced the traditional smoking machine by employing improved smoking method to process meat in a more health and sanitary way than the traditional smoking method now.
6. Packaging and storage
The fresh sausage product is sometimes packaged for sale to the customer. The product may be wrapped in a gas impermeable plastic, and placed into refrigerated storage or display. The specific packaging will vary according to the needs of the end user, the processor must follow hygienic standards when packaging any sausage product to avoid contaminating the product. Often retail fresh sausage is tray packed. However, many sausage products are vacuum packed, freshness dated and 100% edible. Handle carefully and store properly to preserve freshness. Use right away or freeze. Vacuum-packaged sausage can be frozen as is. Try to eliminate air from the package whether wrapping in zipper bags, freezer paper, or plastic wrap. You can freeze items for 1-2 months without affecting the flavor and quality of the sausage.

IV. Sausage Variations in Daily Life

Sausages may be served as appetizer, in a sandwich, in a bread roll as a hot dog, wrapped in a tortilla, or as an ingredient in dishes such as stews and casseroles. It can be served on a stick or on a bone as well. Sausage without casing is called sausage meat and can be fried or used as stuffing for poultry, or for wrapping foods like Scotch eggs. Similarly, sausage meat encased in puff pastry is called a sausage roll.
Sausages are almost always fried in oil, served for any meal, particularly breakfast or lunch and often sweet sausages have been created which are made with any of the above: dried fruit, nuts, caramel and chocolate, bound with butter and sugar. These sweet sausages are refrigerated rather than fried and usually, however, served for dessert rather than as part of a savory course. Sausages can also be modified to use indigenous ingredients. Mexican styles add oregano and the guajillo red pepper to the Spanish chorizo to give it an even hotter spicy touch. Certain sausages also contain ingredients such as cheese and apple, or types of vegetable.

Contact Email: amisymeatmachinery@gmail.com

Nigerian Smoked Fish Market Potential

I. Overview of Nigerian Fish Supply and Demand
Nigeria is rich in both fresh and marine fishery resources. There are an estimated 12,478,818 hectares of inland waters and some 741,509 hectares of brackish waters, most of which are suitable for aquaculture. However, only about 5,476 hectares of these waters are employed for fishery at present. In addition to the above, this nation has 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that spans 853km of coastline and covers 192,000 km² areas. Fish supply of Nigeria is from four major sources, and they are artisanal fisheries, industrial trawlers, aquaculture and important frozen fish. The Niger Delta contributes more than 50% of the entire domestic Nigerian fish supply. At the same time, there are many kinds of fish species of commercial importance in Nigeria.
Fish is an important source of protein intake of many people, especially the people in developing countries. In Nigeria, about 41% of the total animal protein intake is obtained from fish products. And it is reported that fish is a major source of animal protein and an essential food item for Nigerians, because it is relatively cheaper than meat. The total demand for fish and fish products is higher in Nigeria than many other West African countries.

II. Smoking is A Prominent Fish Processing in Nigeria

Fish is a kind of perishable product, and if it is not sold or consumed fresh, proper preservation methods and techniques have to be applied to extend its shelf life. And the preservation methods includes freezing, drying (sun-drying and oven-drying), fermentation, heat treatment (sterilization, pasteurization, etc.) and smoking.
Smoking is a popular traditional method of fish preservation in most developing countries, which combines the effect of the destruction of bacteria and the cooking of the fish, because high temperatures will be generated. And the drying and cooking effects during smoking process attributes to a long shelf life of smoked fish products.
Due to the scorching climate in Nigeria, it is usual for fish to be preserved under frozen condition, but there is an irregular electricity power supply, so another form of preservation that has saved fish farmers, fish merchants/sellers from losses is smoking. And it has been observed that the most prominent fish preservation method in Nigeria is smoke drying; most of the captured fishes are sold or consumed after smoking.
Smoking process of fish has a long history in Nigeria. With social development, smoking is not only done as preservative which is the original purpose, but also done for the unique taste and flavor imparted from the smoking process in recent times.

III. Economic Potential of Nigerian Smoked Fishes
---Abroad Nigerian smoked fish products
A study showed that, there are many Africans venturing abroad, and the United States and Europe remain the major destination for them. This transcontinental migration brings about a growing appreciation for African flavors and food, the demand for dried and smoked fishes has a sharp increase.
The Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) of the United Nations has conducted a research indicating that the quantity of dried and smoked catfish, tilapia and other types of fishes exported from West Africa to the United Kingdom is estimated at over 500 tones per year, with a retail value of nearly 20$ million. Nigeria alone exports about 5 tonnes of smoked fish per month, via airfreight.
---Domestic smoked fish products of Nigeria
It is known that fish is an important and main food materials of Nigerian. The continue growth of population, income and urbanization assures the high demand for fishes in Nigeria. The estimation of national demand for fishes in Nigeria is 2.3 million tones annually, out of which 1 in every 500 of this demand represents the demand for smoked fishes.
At the same time, smoked fish demand is also high in Nigeria. With a population of over 165 million people and an estimated national population growth rate of 5.7% per year, an average economic growth rate of 3.5% per year in the past 5 years, Nigeria has a large market for smoked fish.
Combining the abroad and domestic demand of the smoked fish, it clearly shows the economic potential of Nigerian smoked fishes, and the economic potential of investment is guaranteed as well.

IV. Advantages of Smoking Fish

Fish smoking can realize three processing effects:
1. Cooking: smoking is usually done at a high temperature, so the fish is cooked.
2. Drying: the fire that produces smoke also generates heat that dries the fish;, and the heat destroys bacteria resting in and on the fish.
3. Smoking: smoke produced by burning wood containing some compounds that also has the effect of killing bacteria; the process has a preservative value.
Smoking prolongs shelf life of fishes, which permits storage in the lean season; enhances flavor and increases utilization of fishes in other diets, such as soups and sauces. It enhances the nutritive value and promotes digestibility of protein. It increases protein availability to people throughout the years and makes fish easier to pack, transport and market for reaching the consumer in relatively good state.

V. Fish Smoking Way in Nigeria

● Traditional way of smoking fish in Nigeria
The traditional way of smoking fish is done by leaving the fish to be processed naturally with smoke generated by burning wood. And usually, smokehouses (smoking kiln) are built for the purpose of smoking fish. However, it is not getting a lot of prominence through the traditional way of smoking fish for export. And the traditional smoking method is gradually being replaced with modern mechanical methods of preserving fish.
Due to the aquaculture production increase in Nigeria as well as the request for high-quality products abroad, the need for developing modern fish preservation and processing machinery and techniques for effective fish processing and storage is necessary.
● The modern smoking method has the following advantages
1. More hygienic by producing the died fishes free from heavy smoke deposits.
2. Less batch processing time than the traditional drying method.
3. Removed labor and time involved in rotation of fish repeatedly, like the labor needed to monitor the fishes during smoking to avoid charring.
4. Allows large scale smoking operation.

● Mechanical fish smoking kiln
After a lot of improvement, the mechanical smoking kiln is designed and fabricated as a kind modern fish smoking machine. The use of force-draft enhances drying and smoke application and the use of heater source remote to the smoke generator reduces much smoking time. The mechanical smoking kiln can be relied upon to produce a high-quality, uniform product that conforms to internationally acceptable standard.

VI. Smoked Fish Production Processing
1. Fish grading: sorting by species or on the basis of sizes is very important for fish processing as well as for marketing, and fish grading by size can be easily completed with mechanical fish grading equipment.
2. Fish scale removing: scaling the fish is necessary chore as the scales are unpleasant to eat, and usually the fish scaling machine is applied in a industrial plants.
3. Fish cleaning: this process is to finish fish back dissecting, fish guts removing, membrane cleaning by fish speed cleaning machine, etc. to reduce spoilage.
4. Slime removal: for some fish species, slime on the fish skin creates a perfect condition for microorganism growth and have to be removed by thorough washing.
5. Fish cutting: 
---splitting is done to increase the surface area exposed to the air and decrease the fish thickness, so reduce the smoking time.
---fish filleting is to make the product acceptable to the customer. Fish fillets are popular in western countries as they are easy to cook with no further preparation.
6. Fish smoking: utilize the mechanical fish smoking equipment to produce quality smoked fishes.

Contact Email: amisymeatmachinery@gmail.com

Fish Processing Insight

Fish and fish products are consumed as a kind of protein-rich food around the world. Together with other sea-foods, fish provides the prime source of high-quality protein of the world, and over one billion people rely on fish as their primary source of animal protein, which is 14-16%of animal protein consumed worldwide. Fish is also a good source of various vitamins and minerals, all of which are vital for the healthy functioning of human body.

I. Preservation Process and Further Process of Fish
Fish processing is the fish and fish products processes involved between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to customers. And the preservation process that is to retain quality increase shelf life of fishes, and the further process for value-adding to produce a wide range of fish products can be involved in fish processing.
---Fish preservation process
Fish is a kind of perishable food, so the first and most obvious handling should be preserving the quality of fish to keep them alive for as long as possible before cooking and consumption. 
And a number of methods and techniques are developed and used for fish preservation. Among the preservation methods, some are completed basing on temperature control, using ice, refrigeration or freezing; others are completed on the control of water activity, including drying, salting, smoking and freeze-drying. Techniques may rely on the chemical control of microbial activity and loads by adding acids, for example, to fish products; or rely on the physical control of using heat to kill the bacteria that causes decomposition, and the heat can be produced by cooking, blanching or microwave heating in a manner that realizes pasteurizing and sterilizing fish and fish products; techniques are also used that are based on oxydo-reduction, such as vacuum packing. Most often a combination of different techniques is used to preserve fishes.
1. Drying fish 

drying fish

Drying fish is to reduce the moisture of fish to a proper degree to realize preservation. Sun-drying is using heat of the sun and movement of air to remove the moisture of fish, and this is a traditional way which is still in use today. Sun-drying does not allow much control over drying time. The moisture percentage will depend on the oiliness of the fish and whether it has been salted.
2. Salting fish

salting fish

A concentration of 6-10% salt can prevent the bacteria activity in fish flesh, because most bacteria in food can not live in salty condition. The fish preserved by salting has a longer shelf life. However, a group of halophilic bacteria are salt-loving and their activity can not be controlled even at a concentration of 6-10%. So, some further processing of removing water by drying is necessary to inhibit these bacteria.
Salting needs minimal machines or equipment, but how salting is applied is important. Traditional method is rubbing salt into the flesh of the fish or making alternate layers of fish and salt. To improve the situation of fish preserving insufficiency caused by not using salt uniformly, a better technique of brining is utilized. Brining involves immersing the fish into a pre-prepared solution with a concentration of 36% salt, and its advantage is that the salt concentration can be more easily controlled and salt penetration is more uniform. Brining is usually applied combining with drying.
3. Smoking Fish

smoking fish

Smoke produced by burning wood contains a number of compounds which inhibit bacteria. Heat from the fire causes drying, and if the temperature is high enough, the flesh becomes cooked. Both of these factors prevent bacteria growth and enzyme activity which may cause spoilage.
Smoking is not only done as preservative, but also done for the unique taste and flavor imparted from the smoking process in recent times. Smoking has two types of methods: cold smoking, of which the temperature is not high enough to cook the fish; and hot smoking, of which the temperature is high enough make the fish cooked.
---Further process of fish
The further process includes processing fish into a wide array of value-added products, which is more important nowadays due to societal changes that have led to the development of outdoors catering, convenience products ready to eat or requiring not much preparation before serving; as well as proper waste management after intensive processing.
Further processing of fish can make the fish products have different flavors and textures, increase their economic value, and allow the fishing industry and exporting countries to get the full benefits of their fish resources. At the same time, further processes with value-adding generate further employment and hard currency earnings.

II. Final Products after Fish Processing 
Fish processing can be subdivided into fish handling, which is the preliminary processing of raw fish, and the manufacture of fish products.

fish products

---Fish products for preservation
As mentioned above about fish preservation, this kind of fish products are dried fish, salted fish, and smoked fish.
---Products of raw fish 
1.Drawn fish: a whole fish has its internal organ removed
2.Dressed fish: fish that has been scaled and eviscerated, and ready for cook
3.Pan dressed fish: a dressed fish with no head, tail and fins to fit in a pan
4.Filleted fish: boneless fish flesh that is cut lengthwise from the fish along the backbone; it is popular in western countries for its little preparation for cooking
5.fish steaks: large dressed fish can be cut into cross section slices, usually half to one inch thick, and usually with a cross section of the backbone
6.Fish sticks: pieces of fish cut from frozen fish fillet blocks into portions of 3/8-inch thick
7.Fish cakes: packed or frozen cake-shaped product that is prepared from flaked fish, potatoes and seasonings
---Products with value addition: 
Surimi and surimi-based products are prepared from the mechanically deboned, washed and stabilised fish flesh, and they are intermediate product used in the preparation for some ready-to-eat sea food.
Fish meal is product made from fish, and bones and offal of processed fish. It is a kind of brown powder or cake obtained by drying the fish or fish trimmings. If the fish is fatty, it can be pressed to get fish oil.

III. Mechanical Fish Processing Machines and Equipment

fish processing

---Fish Refrigeration Equipment for Transport
For supplying the distant market, fish and fish products is chilled and frozen, and then transported by road, rail, sea or air. So it is essential that the cold chain is kept operating throughout, which requires the utilization of transport vehicles or insulated containers with adequate quantities of coolants or mechanical refrigeration. Container technology has made it possible to combine refrigeration with a modified or controlled atmosphere.
---Processing Machines for Fish Products
The need for higher productivity and the increase of labor cost have driven the development of automatic scaling, skinning and filleting machines, etc.
1.Fish grading machine: it can finish sorting fish by sizes. Grading by species has to be done manual operation.
2.Automatic fish scaling machine: fish scale has to be removed before serving, it is the work that the fish descaling machine does.
3.Fish cleaning machine: this facility is able to have a full cleaning of fish by fish back dissecting, fish guts removing, membrane cleaning, etc.
4.Fish cutting machine: to meet the different processing requirements, usually fish needs to be cut into different shapes of fillets, slices, segments, strips, blocks. etc., and fish cutting machine can help this.
5.Fish flesh separator machine: it can achieve collecting fish flesh from fish bones, which is a requisite management for fish ball, fish noodle, fish gelatin, etc.
6.Fish drying machine: with demands for the improvement in quality of dried fish, there has been a great deal of research on the development of the advanced drying machine with mechanical function. Microwave meat drying machine and hot-air drying oven are the two kinds of mechanical dehydrating equipment used in industrial fish processing.
7.Fish brine injector: this machine works by injecting saline and seasonings in to fish flesh evenly and continuously to complete fish salting and pickling. 
8.Fish smoking machine: Due to the aquaculture production increase as well as the request for high-quality products of people, the need for developing modern fish smoking machinery and techniques is necessary. Automatic fish smoking machine has replaced the traditional smoking machine and technology by employing improved smoking method to process fish in a more health and sanitary way than the traditional smoking method.

IV. Fish Waste Management
There will be a lot of fish waste after processing, such as fish head, fish skin, fish scale, fish tail, fish bone and residual fish meat, which account for 40-50% of raw fish weight. These fish waste are rich in protein, fat, minerals, and to avoid waste of resource, they have been developed to use in the fields of chemical engineer, food, biology, medicine, environment protection, etc.

Please email to amisymeatmachinery@gmail.com if you need more information.