Abstract:
The study assessed the effects of smoking on the quality attributes of penaeus notialis shrimps in Ghana. Terminalia ivorensis, Petersianthus macrocarpus and Albizia zygia were used as fuel woods to smoolder the shrimps. Four research objectives and two hypotheses were used to find solution to the research problem. Theoretical, empirical and conceptual framework were used shape the study. Descriptive and experimental research designs were adopted to guide the entire study. Frequency and percentage were used to analyse the background information of the respondents. In the case of research objectives and the hypotheses, one way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significant differences among the types of wood used and consumer’s preferences. The study revealed that seven nutrients (Dry Matter, Moisture, Ash, Protein, Fibre, Fat/Oil and Carbohydrate) found were significant. Also, the fuel used for the smoking did not have any negative effect on the nutrients in the smoked shrimps. The study further showed that panelists accepted ‘USAZ’ formulation as the most preferred product with a mean score of 4.11. Also, ‘PSAZ’ formulation was also most preferred with a mean score of 4.14. There is a significant difference in the types of wood used for smoking with regards to nutritional and chemical properties of the shrimps. The study further found a significant difference on shrimps smoked with selected wood types for smoking and consumers preference. The study therefore, recommended that, the use of a particular wood type would encourage the consumption of smoked shrimps due to its flavour or aroma, colour,texture and even the taste.
