Biochemical Evaluation of Enclosed Solar Dried and Salted Oreochromis niloticus

An experiment to investigate the effect of enclosed solar drying on the quality of unsalted and salted O. niloticus was conducted to assess the extent at which the use of enclosed solar dryers combined with salting at different levels would affect the biochemical composition and keeping quality of Oreochromis niloticus. Sensory, biochemical and storage evaluations were carried out on the salted and unsalted fish after drying. The acceptability, appearance, colour, odour, taste and texture of salted and unsalted fish differed significantly (p< 0.05). The moisture, protein lipid and ash contents differed significantly (p< 0.05). The mineral composition showed that Sodium, Magnesium, and Calcium and Potassium content differed significantly (p< 0.05). The storage evaluation showed that the Free Fatty Acid (FFA), Iodine Number (IN) and Total Viable Count (TVC) differed significantly (p< 0.05).