ABSTRACT
Contents 15.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................475 15.2 Fish Sauces and Pastes of the World ..............................................................................476 15.3 Fermented Fish Products of India ................................................................................ 477 15.4 Nutritional Composition of Fish Sauces and Pastes ......................................................478 15.5 Microora of Fermented Fish ....................................................................................... 480 15.6 Benecial Bacteria Isolated from Fermented Fish Products ...........................................481 15.7 Health Benets of Fermented Fish Products ................................................................ 482 15.8 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 484 References ............................................................................................................................... 484
1999), surströmming of Sweden (Kobayashi et al. 2000); sundried or smoked sh products of India, Nepal, and Bhutan such as gnuchi, sidra, and sukuti (apa et al. 2006), and dried and preserved sh products of India such as bordia, karati, and lashim (apa et al. 2007). Fermented products such as sauces and pastes are rich sources of proteins, vitamins, essential amino acids, and minerals to the people of Southeast Asian countries, whose diets are predominantly cereal based (Amano 1962, Curtis 2009). Fermentation of sh occurs principally by endogenous autolytic enzymes such as pepsin and trypsin and to a lesser extent by the associated microora depending on the method of fermentation (Cutting and Bakken 1957). In most cases, fermentation of sh occurs in the presence of added salt which removes moisture by osmosis. In general, fermented sh contain >15% salt, but the salt content can be as high as 20%–25% in some products (TPI 1982, Berkel et al. 2004). e biological process underlying the production of sh sauce or paste is very simple requiring no scientic intervention. e traditional processes of fermentation are well established and yield products of uniform quality and taste. In the presence of salt, the activities of the spoilage microorganisms will completely cease, but the endogenous autolytic enzymes of sh start decomposing the sh tissues. Protracted hydrolysis of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates result in the formation of products which impart distinct aroma and taste. When bacteria are involved in the fermentation process, organic acids such as acetic acid and lactic acid are formed (Fujii et al. 1999, Steinkraus 2002). Fish sauces and pastes are the examples of fermentation products derived by employing the endogenous enzymes of sh. e enzyme groups in the sh gut are composed of pepsin, trypsin, carboxypeptidases, amylases, and lipases (Lovell 1988), which start acting on the sh tissue immediately after the death of the sh. e tissue protein hydrolysis by the endogenous enzyme activity of sh can vary greatly in dierent species of sh depending on the types of enzymes, rates of hydrolysis, and so on. As a consequence of this, the chemical composition of the nal product of fermentation can also vary vastly depending on the sh species. For example, herbivorous sh produce large amounts of enzymes that degrade carbohydrates, while carnivorous sh produce enzymes that are predominantly proteolytic (Horn et al. 1986, Cockson and Bourne 1972, Hidalgo et al. 1999). Other factors such as the season, physiological state of sh, and the age can also inuence the enzyme levels and their activities, which in turn may aect the characteristics of the fermented product.
