Effect of Preparation Treatments on the Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Protein Concentrate

Fish protein concentrate (FPC) is a concentrated protein derived from fish meat and its characteristics are highly dependent on the methods of preparation used. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different preparation treatments on the physico-chemical properties of niletilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) fish protein concentrate.The nile tilapia used. Was collected alive from shrimp ponds in Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The fish was then filleted, red meat trimmed and white meat was chopped in a commercial food processor and stored in a zipped plastic bags at – 20°C until used. The meat was divided into two groups for treatments of pressing and unpressing. The pressed and unpressed chopped meat was then washed with 90% ethanol (1:2 or 1:4, w/v) for 20, 40 and 60 min. to remove lipid and pigments. The treated meat was then dried overnight in a forced-air convection oven. The dried nile tilapia FPC was then analysed for its physico-chemical characteristics. The results indicated that the preparation treatments significantly affected the characteristics of the nile tilapia FPC. The best results from each treatment showed characteristics according to FAO standards (1976) namely the ratio of washing ratio 2:1 with an extraction time of 60 minutes and the variation of the sample before extraction was pressed having a chemical composition of 85.32% protein, 0.55% fat, water content of 11.91% and ash content of 1.25%. And the physical characteristics include 85.9% whiteness, 2.43 g/ml water absorption and 2.37 g/ml oil absorption. The results of this study indicated that the tilapia fish FPC is classified as type A FPC and is well applied to food ingredients.