Normally sardines are traditionally sun dried unhygienically by spreading on sandy seashores, mats or tarpaulins along the Kenyan coast. However, these convectional traditional solar methods of drying fishes intended for human consumption have serious health hazards due to employment of improper and unscientific methods. Quality assurance of processed seafood is therefore of utmost concern that has greater public health implications. Therefore, in order to overcome the traditional sun drying drawbacks, an investigation was carried out to assess the biochemical and nutritional quality changes in dried sardines using a raised open rack system. The system performance was evaluated in terms of sardine drying rates, biochemical and nutritional quality attributes. Quality attributes were assessed by determining proximate composition, yeast, mold and bacterial counts, peroxide value and color L, a, b values. The results indicated a significant variation in drying rates and assessed quality attributes compared to the convectional traditional sun drying method.

Solar dried clupeid sardine fishery storage along the Kenyan coast has always been carried out unhygienically using gunny bags kept under ambient conditions. Shelf life changes of the vacuum-packaged solar rack dried sardines during chill storage were therefore examined, to determine the occurring microbiological, chemical, textural and sensory changes in the gunny bag (GBP), control air (CAP), experimental air (EAP) and Experimental Vacuum Packaged (EVP) samples. Pouches (size: 15×22 cm) made of 12 μ-polyester laminated with 300 gauge low-density polyethylene were used for packaging. After packing, all the packs were iced with flake ice in the ratio of 1:1 and stored maintained in an insulated cooler box at 0-2°C. Thereafter, samples were analyzed periodically for chemical, microbiological, textural and sensory characteristics quality changes. Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacteriaceae and Feacal streptococci counts were also determined at the packaging time and at sensory rejection time. Ambient stored Gunny bag and polythene air packaged samples had a shelf life of 14 and 30 days, respectively; chilled polythene air-packaged 45 days and chilled vacuum-packaged 90 days. Thus, vacuum-packaging in combination with chilling was found to be the best in delaying spoilage and thereby significantly extending dried fish products shelf life in tropical environments.