PRODUCTION OF FISH SAUCE FROM CASPIAN SEA KILKA, WITH USE OF TRADITIONAL, MICROBIAL AND ENZYMATIC METHODS

Fish sauce is a popular fermented product used in south Asian countries which is made from different species of small fishes. In this research it was attempted to produce fish sauce from kilka fishes of the Caspian Sea. The kilka sauce was made from three different preparations of kilka, such as whole kilka, cooked whole kilka and dressed kilka. Each of these preparations was fermented in four different ways, such as traditional, enzymatic, microbial and mixture of enzyme and microorganisms. The results of this study showed that times of fermentation for traditional, enzymatic, microbial and mixture of enzyme and microbe method were 6, 1,3 and 1 months, respectively. The least and the most rate of fermentation were recognized for dressed kilka and cooked whole kilka, respectively. Microbial, biochemical and organoleptic properties of kilka fish sauce were investigated. The total bacterial count was 2.1 to 6.15 log cfu/ml, total volatile nitrogen (TVN) in samples was 250 mg/100g and protein content of kilka sauce was between 10-13 percent. The score of the taste panel for flavour, odour and colour was between 3 to 5, which means this product can be acceptable to the consumer