Formaldehyde detection and quality assessment of pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalamus) pp retailed in the local market of Kashmir valley

In the present study, an attempt was made to find the level of formaldehyde adulteration in the imported, Pangasius, fish available in Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 90 samples were collected from 3 major markets of Srinagar for three months and brought to the Fish Processing laboratory of the Division of Post-Harvest Technology, Faculty of Fisheries. The samples were analyzed for the qualitative and quantitative presence of formaldehyde. It was found that 78% of the samples contained formaldehyde above the permissible limit of 4ppm. The presence of formaldehyde was also confirmed by the presence of a very low bacterial load in the samples. It has been observed that the menace of formaldehyde adulteration in imported fish is widespread and it has now become a routine practice to use formaldehyde as a preservative.