Effect of Firewood and Sawdust Smoke on Chemical and Physical Properties of Clarias Fish Meat

This study was conducted to determine chemical composition and sensory evaluation of dried and fresh smoked of Clarias sp fish meat prepared using firewood and sawdust at traditional kilns. Clarias sp. fish (20 kg) was collected from Elmorada fish Market Omdroman (Sudan), these fish were in the range of 26 – 36 cm in length and 140 – 350 g in weight, the studied samples were divided into two main groups; fresh and dried. Each group was divided into two subgroups and treated with firewood and sawdust separately. The final products of the studied fish were analyzed for proximate analysis (crude protein, fat, moisture, dry matter, ash and nitrogen free extract) in addition to sensory evaluation. The study revealed that there were no significant differences in moisture, protein, fat, ash and nitrogen free extract content among studied samples. In the case of sensory evaluation of the smoked product, the fish smoked with firewood gave better overall acceptability than those smoked with dust wood. It could be concluded that the sawdust can be used practically as alternative to firewood to reduce the cost of smoking and waste of carpenter.