Suitability of Pangasius hypophthalmus as a raw material for ngari-like product- a fermented product

‘Ngari’is a delicious and familiar fermented fish product, a native of Manipur, prepared from unsalted sun-dried fish.The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the suitability of Pangasius hypophthalmus as a raw material for the preparation of ngari-like product. During the study, the dried pangasius steaks were packed in oil conditioned earthen pot and allowed to ferment for 6 months. The quality of fermented Pangasius was analysed and the quality parameters evaluated were-the changes in proximate composition, physicochemical parameters [total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN), peroxide value (PV), free fatty acid (FFA), pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)], total viable count (TVC) and sensory evaluation. It was observed that not much variation was observed in proximate composition. The biochemical parameters namely TVBN, PV and FFA were increased after fermentation. Similarly,TVC and sensory scores reportedly increased after fermentation. The results indicate that Pangasius can be used as a suitable raw material for the preparation of ngari-like product.