Effect of Traditional Drying Methods on Proximate Composition, Fatty Acid Profile, and Oil Oxidation of Fish Species Consumed in the Far-North of Cameroon.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of two traditional drying methods on proximate composition, lipid oxidation, and fatty acid composition of two freshwater fish species from Maga Lake in Cameroon. As shown by the results, these two methods significantly (p < 0.05) decrease moisture content in the two fish species while ash and lipid content significantly increases (p < 0.05). The highest content of proteins is obtained for sun-dried fish. Analysis also reveals that these two drying methods accelerate lipid oxidation by increasing peroxide value and total oxidation value. Smoking and sun drying decrease polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid and n-3/n-6 ratios of the two fish oils. The higher percentages of unsaturated fatty acid present in raw samples are responsible for the major changes in fatty acid profile occurring during drying methods. It is concluded that based on lipid oxidation, sun-drying is found to be the better method to dry fish.