Changes in proximate, biochemical and microbiological characteristics of dried Labeo gonius fillets during storage at room temperature

An experiment was carried out to assess the changes in proximate, biochemical and microbiological characteristics of dried Labeo gonius fillets stored at room temperature. Moisture, crude protein, total lipids, nitrogen free extract (NFE) and ash content of the product were 77.46, 17.94, 2.2, 1.59 and 0.81%, respectively. Total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) content was found below the range suggested by various researchers for fish and fish products. Total plate count (TPC) of 1.54 × 104 cfu/g was observed and the dominant genera of bacteria were Pseudomonas spp., Micrococus spp., Streptococus sp., Barillus spp. and Vibrio spp. found in higher percentage. There were no appreciable changes in salted dried L. gonius stored in two different packaging materials. Total lipid showed a progressive decrease in the entire salted dried sample during the storage period. An increase in TVB-N was found in dried products stored in gunny bag. The packaging material used had a little effect on peroxide formation. The most common fungi found during storage in the specimen studied were Aspergillus sp. and Pencellium.Keywords: Labeo gonius, fish, TVB-N, lipid, moistureAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(20), pp. 2997-300