Status report on the smalfish food project - 2020

Abstract

Even though small fish have been categorized as having been overfished and there have been declining stocks over the past years, the small fish industry in Ghana continues to provide food security, nutrition, employment, income and maintenance of livelihoods for fishermen and fish processors. Traditionally, the process of sun drying in Ghana and other parts of Africa involves drying the fish on the ground. This practice has led to concerns about the safety and quality of these small fish. Additionally, incomes are lost during the rainy season where the fish gets washed away with the run-off water. This project therefore seeks to offer an alternative means of processing fish by sun drying with improved, cost effective, user friendly technologies, and the development of value added products. Generally, the objectives of the team are to construct improved fish drying platforms/fish rack for the 4 fishing communities in the Greater Accra, Central and Volta Regions of Ghana. Microbiological, chemical analysis, and trace metals analysis would be conducted on the fish before and after drying. The fish processors would be trained on good hygienic and manufacturing practices and on adding value to their sun-dried fish by salting, milling and packaging as well as inclusion of the improved sun-dried fish or fish powder in existing foods and development of new food products to enhance products’ shelf, utilization and technology transfer. In 2019, the CSIR-Food Research Institute team achieved most of their project objectives. Drying platforms and drying racks have been constructed in Tema New Town (TNT) and Moree for fish processors and on a pilot scale at the CSIR-Food Research Institute for drying trials. The hammer mills have also been fabricated for CSIR-Food Research Institute, TNT and Moree for use in adding value to the small fish. Sealing machines have been donated to the 2 communities to improve the packaging of their small fish. The fish processors have also been trained on preparation of some of the developed products and educated on other ways of improving their nutritional needs through the use of value added small fish. The report will capture further, details of the activities with pictures