Assessment of physicochemical, microbiological and sensory attributes of maldive fish with the incorporation of Garcinia cambogia (goraka)

This study was conducted to evaluate the potential use of Garcinia cambogia for the improvement of quality attributes of Maldive fish. Maldive fish were prepared using three different incorporation levels of G. cambogia as 0%, 1.25%, 1.67% and 2.5%. Sensory results revealed that sample incorporated with 2.5% of G. cambogia had the best qualities. G. cambogia treated samples showed significant reduction (P<0.05) of histamine content compared to commercial Maldive fish samples. The highest level of 2-thiobarbituric acidreactive substances (TBARS) was identified in the commercial sample, while the lowest level found in Maldive fish incorporated with 1.25% of G. cambogia. Maldive fish incorporated with the highest level (2.5%) of G. cambogia showed greater suppression of bacterial count. Further, significantly lower (P<0.05) fungal counts and bacterial counts were observed in all treatments compared to commercial samples and the control. In conclusions, Maldive fish incorporated with 2.5% of G. cambogia results enhanced sensory and quality attributes and safe product for consumers.