Improved processing systems for dried fish: Fish drying in east Java

• Marine Fisheries Research, Indonesia

Dried, salted fish is a low-cost, high-quality protein food and a staple component of the diet of Indonesia's rapidly growing population. If inadequate drying and subsequent spoilage during transport, warehousing and retail distribution -- which accounts for losses of around 30% -- could be prevented by improvements to the fish-drying process, the current rate of consumption of 1.4 million tonnes a year could be increased considerably.

Earlier ACIAR projects (8304 and 8313) focused on the problems and constraints associated with the traditional fish salting and sun-drying processes, and those of transport, storage and distribution of the product. Inadequate drying, high salt content, inferior packaging and inadequate storage conditions were shown to be major causes of poor quality and low stability.

In the course of Project No. 8313, collaborating scientists researched the salting and drying dynamics of small pelagic (or top-feeding) fish such as sardine and scad, and developed a low-cost, rice-husk fired furnace that, in conjunction with a simple cabinet, offers an alternate drying system when sun-drying conditions are not optimal.

In the present project, scientists of the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of New South Wales (UNSW), will collaborate with several Australian and two Indonesian organisations to further develop, and field test, the 'agro-waste' fish dryer developed in Project No. 8313 as an adjunct to sun drying to permit the drying of fish irrespective of time of day or season. The data obtained, which will cover both wet and dry seasons, will enable dryers to be adapted to operate to suit the requirements of the fish processors and the communities they serve. Additional limited work will be done to develop an appropriate packaging system that minimises spoilage of dried products by insects and fungi; and to ensure the successful adoption of developments flowing from the project.

It is likely that the research will result in the production of a consistently high-quality, stable product within 24 hours of fish landing. It will eliminate the current uncertainty, depending on the weather, of fish processing times of 2--6 days. Together with improvements in packaging and storage methods, the new drying method will overcome the major constraints that currently exist on productivity and quality, leading to increased availability of dried fish to the retail market. Dried fish processors will have greater control over the quality and stability of their products, and an ability to manipulate product composition to meet market needs. Fishermen will benefit from an expanded and certain market for their fish catch, and there will be flow- on benefits to entire fishing village communities.

The technical work of the project will be undertaken jointly at UNSW and at MFRS, Jakarta. The potential use of alternate agro-waste fuels, in addition to rice husks, will be tested in conjunction with KMITT, Bangkok. The identification of fungi and their potential for mycotoxin production will be undertaken by Dr John Pitt at CSIRO's Food Research Laboratory. At the Department of Agricultural Science, University of Tasmania, the entomological studies initiated in Project No. 8304 will be extended to include applied studies on reducing the fly population near fish landing and processing sites and the development of modifications to current packaging procedures.

All research will be supported, where appropriate, by anthropological and economic studies and/or advice provided by consultants from Indonesia, Thailand and Australia.