The present invention relates to a process for preparation of fish meat based snack.
Fish is one of the major food items in many parts of the world. Majority of harvested fish is consumed fresh. Little quantity of fish is used for preparation of processed fish products such as fish sausages. Developments of technologies for efficient separation of meat from whole fish has resulted in development of convenient, ready-to eat type of fish products. The ready-to-eat type of products has good marketability due to changing eating habits and convenience. The dehydrated ready-to-eat snack food products based on fish meat would have good acceptability due to convenience and shelf stability and the literature is limited in this area.
Reference may be made to patent US 4212892 by Brothers J Alfred and Chahine M Helmy (Method of preparing a high protein snack food, July 1980), wherein, a plastic protein gel is prepared from fish or soy protein, mixed with dry starch of flour to obtain homogenous mass of protein gel-starch material and is subsequently extruded in desired shapes and cooked. The drawbacks are need for strict adherence to low temperature for preparation of fish protein gel, need for sophisticated extrusion technology and low storage stability due to high moisture content.
Reference may be made to patent GB 2129668 by Natori Koichi (Method of manufacturing offish based snack food, May 1984), wherein, the fish meat is mixed with starch, seasonings and kneaded into thin sheet, sandwiched cheese between two fish sheets, heated to melt the cheese, cooked and cut to form products. The drawbacks are need for forming into sheets, additional step of inserting cheese between sheets and high moisture content of 33 - 38%, which limits the product stability.

Reference may be made to patent EP 0157433 by Karmas Endel and Laauber Ellen (Shelf stable fish based product, October 1985), wherein, a shelf stable product was prepared by mixing fermented fish with starch. The drawbacks are need for fermentation to achieve stability and the product cannot be used as a snack.
Reference may be made to patent US 4814196 by Taguchi Gyota (Process for preparing fish containing snack food, March 1989), wherein, the soy bean proteins are mixed with fish meat, compressed, heated and molded into sheet by twin screw extruder, sheet cut into flakes and fried to obtain crunchy snack. The drawbacks are need for sophisticated extrusion techniques, frying to get crunchy texture thus resulting in high fat content in the product.
Reference may be made to patent KR 920861 by Im Dong-Jun (Process for making fish cake shaped snack, October 1992), wherein, a fish meat snack is prepared by steaming fish meat and pulverizing, mixing pulverized fish with other additives, forming into chip or bar shape, freezing the product and frying. The drawbacks are need for freezing and increase in fat content of product by frying.
Reference may be made to patent JP 10165145 by Matsumoto Osamu and Kawasaki Masami (Manufacture of ground fish meat snack, Jun 1998), wherein, the fish meat is made into a paste like dough with salt and seasonings, molded into thin sheets, steamed for 3 - 4 minutes and heated and dried in a oven at 140°C and baked at 200 - 220°C to form a curl shape. The drawbacks are need for formation of thin sheets and change in the shape of the product while baking.
Reference may be made to Venugopalan and Govindan, 1967 (Fish Technology, 4(1), 35 - 42), wherein, the deodorized fish meat is blended with starch, salt and water to a homogenous slurry, poured on aluminum trays to a thickness of 1 mm, passed the trays through a steam chamber

and cooked for 20 mins, cut the film into flakes, dried at 70°C for 1 hr 45 min and fried in oil to obtain fish flakes. The drawbacks are need for deodorization offish meat and increase in fat content of the product due to frying.
The main object of the present invention is to provide process for preparation of fish meat based ready-to-eat crispy snack., which obviates the drawbacks as defined above.
Another object of the present invention is to use fish meat and binder in appropriate proportion to yield a product with crispy texture.
Yet another object of the present invention is to prepare a crispy product without frying, thus reducing the fat level in the product.
Still another object of the present invention is to prepare a product with low moisture level by roasting to achieve the shelf stability.
Accordingly, a process for the preparation of fish meat based snack characterized in that ready-to-eat crispy fish meat essentially comprising two flour binders selected from starch and rice flour and prepared using a formulation comprising:
Minced fish meat 25 to 30%
Salt 0.50 to 1.00%
Sugar 0.30 to 0.70%
White pepper powder 0.50% to 1.00%
Garlic powder 0.70 to 1.20 %
Cumin powder 0.30 to 0.70%
starch 30 to 40%
Rice flour 2-5%
Vegetable oil 2-6%
Water 20-50%
and the said process comprising the steps of a) grinding fish meat with salt for 5 minutes, b) adding sugar and spice powders as defined above and mixing for 5 minutes, c) adding starch, rice flour, water and mixing to form

a dough and putting the formed dough in a mold lined with polypropylene
sheets, d) steam cooking for 45 to 60 minutes at a temperature ranging
from 80 degree C to 90 degree C, cooling and keeping the cooked dough
at 10 ± 2°C for 40-48 hours, e) slicing the set dough into thick slices
ranging 1.5 to 2 mm, f) drying the slices at 50 degree C - 55 degree C for
90 minutes to a moisture level of 11% and g) roasting the dried slices at a
temperature ranging 200-220 degree C for 60-90 minute to yield a fish
meat based snack.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the minced fish meat is from
any fish selected from fresh water or marine fish.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the starch used is selected
from tapioca starch, potato starch, and cornstarch.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the fish meat snack obtained
after roasting the dried slices comprising: moisture content of 0.7 to 2.4%,
protein content of 5.7 to 11.7%, fat content of 2.1 to 5.7%, salt content of
1.1 to 3.1%, water activity of 0.101 to 0.190, free fatty acid value of 0.1 to
1.8% oleic acid, TBA value of 0.31 to 1.3 mg malonaldehyde per kg,
breaking force of 5.3 to 12.7 Newtons, overall sensory quality score of 7.7
to 8.7.
The process for the preparation of fish meat based ready-to-eat crispy
snack is depicted in flow chart.
Novelty
The novelty of the present invention are a) grinding of fish meat with salt to
form fish sol prior to mixing with binders and other ingredients instead of
mixing all ingredients together, thus obtaining proper binding and
crispiness in the product, b) use of two binders, starch and rice flour in
specific proportion to give crispiness and also bite to the product, c) partial
drying of slices from cooked dough to moisture level of 9 - 13% instead of
complete drying in order to get crispy texture during roasting and d)
roasting instead of frying and thus getting a crispy product with low fat
content.

Flow chart for preparation of fish meat based ready-to-eat crispy snack
(Figure Removed)

The following examples are given by way of illustrations of the present invention and should not be construed to limit the scope of present invention.
Example 1
Three batches of fish meat based ready-to-eat crispy snack was prepared using the following formulation
Ingredient Batch A Batch B Batch C
Minced fish meat 500 g 500 g 500 g
Salt 12 g 13.5 g 15 g
Sugar 5g 7.5 g 10 g
White pepper powder 10 g 12.5 g 15 g
Garlic powder 15 g 17.5 g 20 g
Cumin powder 5g 7.5 g 10 g
Tapioca starch 450 g 675 g 900 g
Rice flour 50 g 75 g 100 g
Vegetable oil 70 ml 85 ml 100 ml
Water 300 ml 450 ml 600 ml
Fish meat is ground with salt for 5 mins to form a paste. To the paste, sugar and spice powders were added and mixed for 5 mins. Starch, rice flour, water and oil was added to the mix and mixed for 5 mins to form dough. The dough was filled into a rectangular mold of size 6x4x1 inch, lined with polyprophylene sheet and cooked in steam at 90°C for 45 min. The cooked dough was taken out from molds, cooled and kept in refrigerator at 10 ± 2°C for 45 hr. The cooked dough was sliced to a thickness of 1.5 mm using the slicer and the slices were dried in a through flow drier at 55°C for 90 minutes. The dried slices were roasted in a fludized bed roaster at 220°C for 60 sec. The quality of the product was analysed in terms of proximate composition (AOAC 1999), salt content

(AOAC 1999), free fatty acids (FFA) as % oleic acid (AOAC 1999), thiobarbituric acid number (TBA) as mg malonaldehyde per kg product (Pikul et al 1989, J Agri Food Chem, 37, 1309- 1313), water activity using Decagon Aqualab water activity measuring system, instrumental measurement of color (L,a,b) using Hunter LabScan and breaking force using Loyds texture measuring system and sensory parameters on 9 -point hedonic scale.
The initial moisture content in cooked dough was 50. 8 - 55.1% and was reduced to 9.6 - 11.2% in dried slices (Table 1a). The quality characteristics of ready-to-eat snack prepared in three batches are presented in table 1b. The product had low moisture level of 0.7 - 1.5%, protein content of 7.2 - 9.1%, fat content of 3.9 - 5.7% and ash content of 3.5 - 4.4%. The water activity of the products ranged from 0.125 to 0.190. The salt content varied from 1.2 - 1.6%. The product showed low levels of FFA (0.8 - 1.1%) and TBA (0.9 - 1.3). The Hunter L (lightness) ranged from 46.3 to 55.71, a (redness) from 4.21 to 6.84 and b (yellowness) from 17.50 to 19.06. The instrumental measurement of texture in terms of breaking force indicated values in the range of 5.33 - 10.23 Newtons. The Sensory analysis of the product indicated that the products were well accepted with high overall quality scores of 8.5 (between like very much and like extremely) for product B. The quality parameters indicated that the product B was superior to other two.
Table 1a. Moisture (%) content in cooked dough and dried slices
(Table Removed)

Table 1b. Quality characteristics of fish meat based ready-to-eat
crispy snack
(Table Removed)

EXAMPLE 2
Three batches of products with variable ingredients level was prepared and their quality was evaluated as described in example 1. The moisture content in the cooked dough was 50.7 - 56.8% and in semidried slices it

was 10 - 12.9% (Table 2a). The quality characteristics of the products are presented in table 2b. The products had low moisture content (1.2 -2.4%), and water activity (0.115 - 0.118). The fat content was 2.1 - 4.8 %, protein content was 5.8 - 11.7 %, ash content was 3.9 - 5.1% and salt content was 1.7 - 2.5%. The product had low FFA (0.74 - 1.8%) and TBA (0.31 - 0.55). The instrumental measurement of color indicated L value of 52.07 - 57.55, a value of 3.35 to 5.33 and b value of 18.61 to 19.41. The breaking force of the product was 9.3 - 12.7 Newtons. The sensory analysis for overall quality of the products indicated that C (8.7) and B (8.1) was more acceptable than A (7.8).
Table 2a. Moisture (%) content in cooked dough and dried slices
(Table Removed)

Table 2b. Quality characteristics of fish meat based ready-to-eat
crispy snack
(Table Removed)

EXAMPLE 3
Products were prepared in three batches with variable ingredients level and their quality was evaluated as explained in example 1. The moisture content ranged from 49.2 to 54.8 % in the cooked dough and 9.1 to 9.7 % in semidried slices (Table 3a). The quality characteristics of the products are presented in table 3b. The moisture content in the products was 2.0 -2.4%, and water activity was 0.101 - 0.134. The fat content was 2.5 - 5.8 %, protein content was 6.5 - 10.4%, ash content was 2.4 - 3.1% and salt content was 1.1 - 1.9 %. The product had low FFA (0.95 - 1.69%) and TBA (0.41 - 0.54). The instrumental measurement of color indicated an L value of 50.91 - 54.08, a value of 3.64 to 6.39 and b value of 17.35 to 19.40. The breaking force of the product was 9.3 - 9.5 Newtons. The sensory analysis of the products indicated higher overall quality scores for C (8.3) and B (8.2) compared to A (7.8).
Table 3a. Moisture (%) content in cooked dough and dried slices
(Table Removed)

Table 3b. Quality characteristics of fish meat based ready-to-eat crispy snack
(Table Removed)

The main advantages of the present invention are
a. The minced meat form any type of fish can be used in the preparation
of the product.
b. The product is crisp and is in ready-to-eat form.
c. The product is low in moisture content, thus having higher shelf
stability.
d. The product is made crisp by roasting, thus avoiding the frying
process, thus reducing the fat content in the product.
e. The product is made from fish meat, thus providing a good source of
animal protein.

We claim,
1. A process for the preparation of fish meat based snack characterized in that ready-to-eat crispy fish meat essentially comprising two flour binders selected from starch and rice flour and prepared using a formulation comprising:
Minced fish meat 25 to 30%
Salt 0.50 to 1.00%
Sugar 0.30 to 0.70%
White pepper powder 0.50% to 1.00%
Garlic powder 0.70 to 1.20 %
Cumin powder 0.30 to 0.70%
starch 30 to 40%
Rice flour 2-5%
Vegetable oil 2-6%
Water 20-50%
and the said process comprising the steps of:
a) grinding fish meat with salt for 5 minutes, b) adding sugar and spice powders as defined above and mixing for 5 minutes, c) adding starch, rice flour, water and mixing to form a dough and putting the formed dough in a mold lined with polypropylene sheets, d) steam cooking for 45 to 60 minutes at a temperature ranging from 80 degree C to 90 degree C, cooling and keeping the cooked dough at 10 ± 2°C for 40-48 hours, e) slicing the set dough into thick slices ranging 1.5 to 2 mm, f) drying the slices at 50 degree C - 55 degree C for 90 minutes to a moisture level of 11% and g) roasting the dried slices at a temperature ranging 200-220 degree C for 60-90 minute to yield a fish meat based snack.

2. A fish meal based snack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the minced fish meat is from any fish selected from fresh water or marine fish.
3. A fish meal based snack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the starch used is selected from tapioca starch, potato starch, and cornstarch.
4. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ready to eat fish meat snack obtained after roasting the dried slices comprising: moisture content of 0.7 to 2.4%, protein content of 5.7 to 11.7%, fat content of 2.1 to 5.7%, salt content of 1.1 to 3.1%, water activity of 0.101 to 0.190, free fatty acid value of 0.1 to 1.8% oleic acid, TBA value of 0.31 to 1.3 mg malonaldehyde per kg, breaking force of 5.3 to 12.7 Newtons, overall sensory quality score of 7.7 to 8.7.
5. A fish meat based snack, substantially as herein described with
reference to the examples accompanying this specification.
6. A process for preparation of fish meat based snack, as herein described
with reference to the examples accompanying the specification.