Development of a compressed product made with sardine

The per capita consumption of marine products is very low in Mexico, averaging less than 4 g/day. This fact has been partially attributed to the costly techniques used in their preservation, which result in high market prices unaffordable for large segments of the population. Previous research lead to the development of pressed and salted patties based on lean fish species, the low cost and easy preservation of which would contribute to a higher fish consumption among the low socio-economic strata of the Mexican population. The present work was directed to adapt the procedure to sardine, which is more abundant and less expensive than lean fish species. Since defatting the sardine lead to poor sensorial characteristics of the patties, measures were taken to protect the fat from oxidation, through the use of BHT and citric acid. The best results were obtained with descaled sardine, and with the addition of 8% NaCl, 10% corn flour and a condiment mixture. The resulting product had 32% of high-quality protein and a shelf life of at least six months under environmental conditions. Its cost per gram of protein was one-third lower than the price of fresh or canned sardine. Sensorial tests revealed an acceptability of 82%.