Effect of Different Curry Flavor Concentrations on the Fermentation Process and Lactic Acid Bacteria of Layang Scad (Decapterus macrosoma)

Department of Chemical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology, UniCITI Alam Campus, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), 02100 Sungai Chuchuh, Padang Besar, Perlis, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: roshita@unimap.edu.my

Abstract

For various socio-economic and technical factors, fermentation process is among the commonly used method for fish preservation in South-Eastern Asia. However, the fermented fish were not well accepted by some people due to its unpleasant odour and unique taste. In this study, layang scad (Decapretus macrosoma) has been used to study the effect of different curry flavor concentrations on the fermentation process and microflora of lactic acid bacteria. This study was carried out to determine the physical characteristics, microflora of lactic acid bacteria and sensory acceptability of the product. The fish were fermented for 10 days with different concentrations of curry flavor which were at 5%, 7.5%, 10% and control, no addition of curry flavor. The fermented fish were analyzed in terms of pH, firmness, lactic acid concentration and sensory evaluation. Over the fermentation period, pH and firmness values were decreased. Meanwhile, the concentration of lactic acid and colony-forming unit (CFU) of lactic acid bacteria were increased. The effect of fermentation by using different concentrations of curry flavor was observed and no significant different was found on CFU of lactic acid on MRS and M17 agar. Sensory evaluation showed that fermented fish with 10% concentration of curry flavor is the most acceptable by the sensory panelists as it has the highest acceptability score compared to other concentrations. It can be concluded that addition of 10% curry flavor in the formulation of fermented fish is the best in terms of physical characteristic, microbial quality and sensory acceptability.