Nutrient Content of Fermented Tilapia, Sarotherodon galilaeus

Abstract

Eight fresh samples of Sarotherodon galilaeus were subjected to two levels of fermentation.  The nutritional values of these fermented fish samples were evaluated using Lactobacillus brevis, Klebsiella azaenas and Staphylococcus albus.  They were used singly, in combination of twos and the three were combined.  The fish sample fermented with S. albus had the highest protein content of 41.98% while the spontaneously fermented fish (control) had 14.95%.  The sample fermented with K. ozaenas had the highest fat content of 20.13 and the highest Free Amino Nitrogen (FAN) of 0.064 while the spontaneously fermented samples had 12.88 fat content and 0.44 FAN.  However, the ash content of the fish sample fermented with the combination of L. brevis and S. albus is the highest (24.31%) of all samples fermented with starter culture while the spontaneously fermented fish sample had 15.3%.  The sample with the three starters combined only had highest moisture content of 50.02% and least (19.00%) in S. albus.  The value of phosphorus was highest in all combinations (2.05 – 8.04%) and least in sodium (1.13 – 2.00%).