EFFECT OF DIFFERENT FRYING OIL TYPES ON THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY AND SENSORY ACCEPTABILITY OF Dambu Kifi PRODUCED FROM AFRICAN CATFISH (Clarias gariepinus).

Dambu kifi is a traditional value-added fish product with considerable potential for reducing post-harvest losses and improving the utilisation of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in Nigeria. The type of oil used during frying may influence the nutritional composition and oxidative stability of the final product. This study evaluated the effect of three different frying oils on the nutritional composition, sensory characteristics and storage stability of Dambu Kifi produced from African catfish. Boiled African catfish was processed into Dambu Kifi and fried separately using soya oil, palm oil and olive oil. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomised design with three replicates. The products were Packaged in a PET container and stored for 42 days. Product yield, physical attributes, proximate composition, amino acid profile, fatty acid composition, sensory preference, microbial quality and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were evaluated. Soya-oil Dambu Kifi had the lowest moisture content (8.60 %) and the highest protein content (66.21%), whereas olive-oil Dambu Kifi recorded the highest moisture content (9.69 %). Total fatty acid content was highest in palm-oil Dambu Kifi (174.79), followed by soya oil (171.65) and olive oil (170.68). Soya-oil Dambu Kifi showed the overall preference (5.75). TBARS during storage in all treatments range from 2.23 to 5.81 µg MDA/g. Overall, soya oil produced Dambu Kifi with favourable protein content, low moisture, desirable sensory characteristics and good oxidative stability.