IN SEARCH OF APPROPRIATE FISH-PROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR INDONESIA. S. Ilyas Research Institute of Fishery Technology Jakarta, Indonesia

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1 IN SEARCH OF APPROPRIATE FISH-PROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR INDONESIA S. Ilyas Research Institute of Fishery Technology Jakarta, Indonesia Abstract Indonesian fishery activities have shown a remarkable increase since the end of 1967 when the country started adopting refrigeration techniques, especially freezing for export fishery commodities, i.e., crustaceans and molluscs. Meanwhile, an improved policy on planning and programming including research has been instituted and more attention has also been given to postharvest technology research. Accordingly, efforts to improve freezing methods and the handling of fresh fish in ice have been made and trials on the suitability of marine and inland fish species (prawn, tuna, lobster, milkfish, etc.) for icing and freezing have been carried out. Improvements in the quality of traditionally processed fishery products (salted and dried, including salted jellyfish for export, boiled and salted, mechanically dried, smoked, etc.) have been made. Since the keeping quality of these products is relatively short (due to mould growth, slime formation, insect infestation and bacterial decomposition), the application of preservatives and chilling have been introduced. Recently, special attention has been given to the utilization of trash-fish by ensiling. Preliminary data on feeding trials on animals and fish have shown encouraging results. INTRODUCTION A remarkable development has been achieved in the fishing industry within the last decade..until 1967, development was relatively sluggish or static and traditionally oriented. Its contribution to the national economy was limited to local consumption and salted fish was imported from Singapore and Thailand. By the end of 1967, refrigeration techniques were introduced, especially for freezing crustaceans and molluscs for export. Since then they have developed rapidly, followed by more input of technology into the fishing industry in handling, processing and marketing. Moreover, planning and management, education, training and extension as well as fishery research and development have progressed. In 1976, frozen products accounted for around 76 percent in volume and 93 percent in value of foreign exchange earnings. Shrimp accounted for 58 percent in volume and 89 percent in value of exports. Thus the fishery sector has become very important. The contribution of fisheries to earnings in 1976 was U.S.$131 million whereas in 1968 it was only U.S.$2.5 million. Unfortunately, there is an imbalance in the development progress of fisheries; export activities are growing tremendously while artisanal fisheries are left far behind with all their shortages and limitations. Overall achievements should be evaluated for future planning, especially for laying out the next research programmes to support the industry. Fisheries development during the Third Five-Year Plan ( ) will emphasize process of raw 'material into final products, as well as large-scale transmigration programmes from Java to the outer islands. This paper will focus on the future research programme in connection with the period of development in the Third Five-Year Plan, taking into account experience during the last decade.

2 DEVELOPMENT IN COMMERCIAL PRACTICE Potential and production Although the total estimated potential of marine fisheries is about 6 million t, the present total catch is only 1.4 million t, of which 0.4 million t are derived from inland fisheries. The potential of freshwater aquaculture is also promising. There are ha of freshwater swamps and flood areas, ha of small reservoirs, ha of irrigated rice fields and ha brackish water swamps and tidal lands. The increase of fish production in the last few years is relatively constant and there is a tendency toward species diversification, especially to those species which are in dema.nd and fetch high prices; such as prawn, lobster, tuna, etc. The development of fish utilization The pattern of fish utilization has not changed greatly in the last few years. except for the increase of frozen fish from 0.5 percent in 1968 to 3.1 percent in Most of the frozen products are exported. It is expected that fresh fish for local consumption will increase. The provision of better handling and communication facilities has increased live-fish distribution while the amount of fish for curing has declined. The conversion of fish into fishmeal and other reduction processes has not been encouraged, although the demand is quite high. Also, there is still no commercial industry which uses minced fish for fish sausage, fish balls, etc., although the market for these products is known to exist. Problems faced The main problems faced by the Indonesian fishery industry are: (a) Increasing fish consumption During the last decade, fisheries production has increased in proportion to the growth rate of the population. Accordingly, the annual per caput fish consumption is still 10 kg, whereas the target has been put at 29.5 kg. (b) To meet vitamin A and iodine requirements A high percentage of preschool children show symptoms of xeropthalmia as a result of vitamin A deficiency. Moreover, a considerable number of people are reported to be suffering from goitre. (c) Considerable post-harvest losses A considerable volume of raw material as well as processed products are beicg wasted, mainly due to lack of facilities, skill and knowledge of handling the fresh raw material. About 30 percent of prawns destined for export deteriorate and cannot be used for processing. Also, about percent of salted fish are lost annually due to deterioration. (d) Imbalance between Java and the outer islands Sixty four percent of the total population of 135 million live in Java. The total number of fishermen in Ja<w island is too high for the small fishery potential and, therefore, the production per unit effort is very low. Conversely, the potential in the outer islands is high. The consumption of fish shows extraordinary differences. The annual per caput fish consumption of the people in Central Java is only about 5 kg whereas in some provinces in the outer islands the per caput fish consumption is up to 35 kg (more than the Government target).

3 These problems may be solved through transmigration programmes for fishermen and by stimulating marketing and distribution of fish to Java. (e) Shrimp by-catch Although there is an urgent need for fish to meet the protein and nutritional requirement of the people, about thousand t per annum of shrimp bycatch in the East Indonesian waters are not utilized for human consumption. Most of it is reported to be thrown back into the sea. In fact, these abundant resources should have been used for direct consumption (especially the highly valued species) and used indirectly for animal and fish feed, through reduction or ensiling. Characteristics of the Indonesian fishery The Indonesian fishery is characterized by its tropical nature. There are great number of species but the fish catch is usually landed in small quantities in a number of dispersed landing places. As a result, handling and processing become more complex. The characteristics of these smallscale fisheries are lack of capital, skill and business acumen During the last decade a number of fishing enterprises with their own fleets and large shore-based processing plants with refrigeration facilities have been established. However, most of their raw material (about 90 percent) is still supplied by smallscale fishermen despite the fact that the products go to international markets. Although artisanal fisheries are still important, the fishermen are in a weak marketing position. So far they have not been able to group themselves into bigger cooperative enterprises or to strengthen their competitive position against private traders and middlemen. Meanwhile, Government efforts to introduce cooperative societies have not been very successful. In this connection, the Indonesian Government has established several Government-owned enterprises with sufficient capital for marketing fish from the outer islands in Java. After they had operated for about two years, however, their achievements were not as good as they should have been. Supervision of hygiene and sanitation in these home industries is especially difficult. It is hard to enforce quality control principles and to market the products due to differences of quality. It is, therefore, difficult to increase fish sales in order to stimulate increased fish production. There are also technical and economic difficulties in rationalizing their activities which discourage fish production. RESEARCH SUPPORTING THE INDUSTRY Handling Indonesian fisheries are characterized by small villages scattered along the coast. This makes the provision of facilities such as jetties, auction halls, potable water supplies, ice, etc., more difficult. The economic fish species are collected from small villages and subsequently transported and marketed in big cities; some are locally processed. Ultimately, the end products will be of poor quality due to poor handling. Since handling facilities are so variable, and in some areas lacking, considerable quantities of fish are un-iced during handling and auctioning. Where icing is practised, this is usually carried out several hours after catching. Therefore, fresh fish are of variable quality in the market. Not much work has been done to study the relationship between delay of icing and deterioration level or keeping quality. Several observations have been made on the deterioration of brackish water prawn, milkfish, carp, pun ti^^, and froglegs held at ambient temperature. It was shown that at ambient temperature in Jakarta (25-3 3OC) these products undergo deterioration within a few hours (Table 1). Most of the catch had undergone deterioration and the bacterial counts were high, due mostly to contamination during handling. It has been reported that about 20 percent of the shrimp trawled off Cilacap

4 (south coast of Central Java) are unsuitable for freezing for export. Meanwhile, Spanish mackerel which are kept in ice soon after catching will stay in rigor for up to 36 hours. Table I Shelf-life at ambient temperature Species Storage Temperature Shelf-life (OC) (h) I Milkfish 25.O Common carp Silver carp O Froglegs a/ Pond shrimp Icing Icing experiments on fish soon after capture can be more easily carried out using freshwater rather than marine fishes. The shelf-life of several fresh water fish during ice storage is shown in Table 2a and b. Table 2 Shelf-life at chill-temperature storage a) Inland fish Species Medium Temperature Shelf-life of products (days) (OC) Milkfish (1 h transport in ice) (30 h transport in ice) ~hrirn~~' (30 h transport in ice) I silver carp a/ Pond shrimp Freshwater ice Brine 2% plus ice Brine 2% plus ice Freshwater ice Freshwater ice Freshwater ice Crushed ice Water and ice Crushed ice

5 b) Marine fish Species Delay of TY pe Temperature Shelf-life icing of products (days) (h) (OC) Yeilowfin tuna 5 whole 1.O Skipjack 7 whole Small tuna 8 whole Horsc mackerel 5 whole Mackerel 8.5 whole O whole Decapterus sp - whole Red snapper - whole "/ dressed 0.7 up to 19 Lobster - whole headless whole cooked 1.O 4 Shrimp whole 1.O-2.0 7b/ Scallop Olnadara sp.) - whole/shell-on raw meat cooked meat a/ Iced at sea b/ Raw alive -- - Table 3 Storage life of some important cured products Species Processing Storage Shelf-life temperature (OC) Shrimp Mackerel Boiled in brine, dried, shell off Boiled in freshwater, dried, shell off Shell off, boiled in brine, dried Dry salted (30%) for 65 h dried - NaCl 15% Dry salted (30%) + acetic acid soln. (1%) for 65 h, dried - NaCll5% Dry salted (30%) for 6 h, dried, bamboo basket packed - NaCl 14% up to 6 months 3 months 6 months 2.5 up to 6 months 3 months up to 100 days less than 78 days up to 100 days 95 days 180 days 120 days

6 Dry salted (30%) for 6 h, dried, plastic pouch packed - NaC114% Decapterus sp. Dry salted (25%) for 68 h, mechanical drying (t = S C, RH %, air velocity 103 mlmin) Dry salted (25%) for 68 h, sundried for 18 h Mackerel Dressed, brined (5%) for 10 min, boiled in brine (15%) for 1 h, bamboo basket packed Jellyfish Salted (25, 30 and 30%) mixed with alum (2,6 and 10%) Salted (20, 30,40%) mixed with alum (1, 3 and 5%) Salted (30 and 35%) mixed with alum (1.5,2.0, 2.5 and 3.0%) Milkfish Dry salted (30%) for 3 h, hot and cold smoking Ditto, with 1% sorbic acid spray Ditto, with 2% sorbic acid Silver carp Dry salted (30%) for 6 h, sundried, bamboo basket packed Dry salted (30%) for 6 h, sundried, plastic packed 3.O up to 180 days days 2-5 up to 310 days days 2-5 up to 310 days up to 90 days 2-5 up to 90 days days 6.O up to 60 days 27.0 less than 60 days 6.O up to 140 days days 6.O up to 225 days days 0 up to 78 days days 0 up to 78 days days moulding after 8 days 2-5 up to 180 days days 2-5 up to 180 days days It appeared that milkfish, kept in 2-3 percent chilled brine had a slightly longer shelf-life compared to ice storage only, but there was an increase of salt content in the fish muscle. In this connection, the use of saltwater ice is not recommended, since there is no significant effect on extension of shelf-life over freshwater ice; in addition, the cost of the plant is high. Milkfish which has been transported in ice for 1 hour had a longer shelf-life (16 days) than fish transported in ice for 30 hours (11 days). Froglegs stored in crushed ice or in a mixture of ice and water had an equal shelf-life, although there was a difference in appearance. Studies on the relationship between delay of icing (in hours) and the shelf-life of marine fish during ice storage have not been made. However, research and observations on icing of fish landing, both for un-iced as well as incompletely iced fish, have been carried out. Storage of processed products With a view to improving the quality of traditional products, several curing experiments have been carried out (salting, drying, boiling, smoking, etc.). Most of the products have a relatively short shelf-life, especially under ambient storage conditions. In this context, some products have been stored under chill temperature; the results are given in Table 3.

7 Freezing Freezing is still restricted to export commodities. Information on species commonly used for freezing in connection with delay of icing and storage life is given in Table 4. Table 4 Storage life of some important species during frozen storage Species Preparation Milk fish storage Shelf-life temperature (OC) 17.8 up to 12 weeks Lobster Head off, iced 13 h, frozen months (alive when processed) Cooked whole, iced 13 h, frozen -20 up to 4 months Iced whole 13 h, cooked whole, frozen months Head off, iced 12 h, frozen days Head off, iced 24 h, frozen days Head off, iced 36 h, frozen days Head off, iced 48 h, frozen days Crabs Cooked meat, water medium -2 3 up to 4 months (alive when processed) Cooked meat, without medium -2 3 less than 4 months Shrimp Shell off, cooked, frozen -2 3 less than 6 months Boiled, shell off, boiled, frozen months Milkfish Iced 3 h, frozen (bait) up to 12 weeks Although skipjack and other tunas are commercially frozen for export, there's still no integrated research on the degree of freshness related to their shelf-life during frozen storage. A study on the possibility of using papaya sauce, or a blend of papaya with tomato sauce, for the canning of sardine is being carried out. It is expected that papaya will become an economic substitute for tomato sauce as the supply of tomato is inadequate. Processing of salted jel&fish Due to the lack of information,experiments on processing of salted jellyfish with the incorporation of salt and alum have been carried out. The range of salt concentration used was 0-40 percent combined with 0-10 percent alum. It was concluded that the optimum salt concentration is percent combined with percent alum (by weight of raw jellyfish). The experiments reveal that there is a downward trend in quality regarding texture, crispness, odour and flavour, as well as thickness and yield, with incfease of alum added during processing. The amounts of salt and alum used during processing of jellyfish should be related to factors such as species of jellyfish (cendol, kelapa, etc.), the degree of freshness of the raw material, the purity of additives (salt, alum,

8 &a, etc.) added, and the possibility of the presence of borax in material used. Borax is considered as a contaminant. UtUization of shark liver oil. The level of xeropthalmia in Indonesia is high. Large numbers of shark are caught along with other commercial species. They have high vitamin A content in the liver ( IU); experiments have been done to make use of them. Experiments on the methods of preservation of shark liver and extraction of its oil have been carried out in.connection with its utilization as a source of vitamin A. Three methods of preservation of raw liver, i.e., icing, dting and freezing as well as two methods of extraction, namely alkali digestion and steaming, have been carried 0dt.~ The results showed that freezing appears to be the best method of preservation, while chilling was better than salting. Alkali redigestion gives better yield of the oil and vitamin A than steaming. Organoleptic tests on shark liver during storage and the effects of prolonged storage on the yield of the oil 4 its quality have also been carried out. The longer the sorage time, the lower are the yields of oil and vitamin A. The present problem is to find out a simple and practicable method of extraction for use by the smallscale fishermen. The practice of making shark liver pindang (salted boiled), especially in West Java, inight be adopted in other regions, provided that this method can retain the high vitamin A content of the processed shark liver. Research continues in this field. Fi6h silage Laboratory experiments on the utilization of shrimp by-catch for fish silage are being carried out. Tke silage is being used for feeding trials on pigs, ducks, chicken and fish and preliminary results are encouraging. Practical problems which may be relevant in connection with future research programmes are discussed below. It is considered unnecessary to investigate the application of established principles and procedures. Poor handling and processing practices should be tackled through extension as a government service rather than by research. Fish handling In commercial practice, about 20 percent of the highly valued raw material (prawns, etc.) shows advanced deterioration on arrival at the processing plants; this leads to a considerable loss in terms of foreign exchange. Handling of other species meant for local consumption is worse and the quantity of fish unsuitable for human consumption or further processing reduces the income of the fishermen and discourages people from purchasing and consuming fish. The technical problems include the variable catch composition, lack of insulation in the fish hold, the availability and high price of ice, the negligence of fish handlers and poor handling during auctioning.,unmotorized boats which make trips of about 15 hours, usually do not carry ice or insulated boxes even for highvalued species. Freshwater species caught in brackish waters are handled as poorly as those on board fishing vessels with the exception of freshwater cultured species which are usually handled and distributed alive. Improved methods of handiing freshwater fishes are being developed in many regions of the country.

9 The deterioration of fresh milkfish during handling and transportation to the market should be prevented by establishment of a better communication network, widening the ponds' embankments in isolated areas, provision of collection points with clean water, iced and containers for fish storage and transportation. 'The handling problems of froglegs as one of the raw materials for export is still unsolved. It will be necessary to establish collecting points in some rice field areas, with provision of hygienic handling facilities, particularly to prevent Salmonella contamination. Marketing of fresh fish Most of the fish except those for export, which are sold fresh are not eviscerated, filleted, etc., and are not packed in ice in suitable packaging material. The practices of beheading, gutting, skinning, etc,, are carried out in a most unhygienic way in dirty places around the auction halls and fresh fish market. The Government may have to provide improved facilities as a public service. Freezing Broadly speaking, there are no problems in commercial freezing. Freezing activities are limited to export commodities. The quality and shelf-life of the frozen product are still adversely affected by the variability in raw material, some of which is un-iced or poorly iced fish. There is need for research on the effect of delayed icing and duration of iced storage before freezing related so keeping quality in frozen storage. Canning Sardine and skipjack are among the important species available for canning. Abundant supplies of sardine are available in the Bali Straits and skipjack in the East Indonesian waters. Canned fish imports continue to increase. During 1976, the export value of canned fish reached US.$ 10 million, of which US.$ 8 million was canned mackerel. The quality of locally produced canned fish around Bali Straits is unable to compete with the quality and price of import products. This is mainly due to the high price of tinplate and the poor condition of the present processing facilities. Curing The present curing practices (especially salting followed by drying under the sun, salting and boiling, light and heavy smoking and fermentation) usually result in products of relatively short shelf-iife. Few studies directed toward improvement of techniques and quality of traditional products have been made since priority has been given only to quality improvement of export commodities (cooked-dried prawns, salted jellyfish, etc.). Laboratory experiments have resulted in high quality end products. Although salted boiled products (pindang) are very popular, suitable types of containers for cooking/packaging and distribution have to be found. Fishmeal and fish silage Up to the present, the production of fishmeal is insufficient to support the development of animal husbandry and fish culture. This can be observed from the increasing imports of fishmeal. This may be because it is difficult to collect enough by-catch, as the raw material, to supply even a smallscale fishmeal factory (30-50 t/day). In some fishing. areas, the traditional reduction practices of cooking, pressing, drying and grinding are practised but the quality of the end product is not consistent. As an alternative, the by-catch could be ensiled. This technology could be developed for rural areas providing that feeding trials for pigs, poultry and fish are successful.

10 Utilization of shrimp by-catch Although by decree of the Ministry of Agriculture it is compulsory to land the shrimp by-catch from East Indonesian waters, about t of shrimp by-catch are thrown back to the sea because of technical problems of collection and storage, especially in small trawlers. There is a need to identify suitable species for fresh marketing, mincing and salting with the remainder used for ensiling. Although shrimp trawlers have operated in this area for over seven years, no enterprise considers it profitable to establish a fishmeal plant. It is felt necessary to establish a fishmeal plant. It is felt necessary to establish a post-harvest technology laboratory branch in Ambon to work on these problems encountered in the vast East Indonesian waters. Storage Ambient temperature storage caused considerable loss of processed fishery products due to rapid deterioration, moulds, insect infestation and rodents. Better packaging (using plastic film pouches) improves the appearance of the products and extends the shelf-life, but does not solve all the problems. Chilled storage of the traditionally processed products could prolong their shelf-life considerably, and stabilize the stocks during the offseason. To encourage fish consumption, especially by lowincome groups, the Government may subsidize these products. Distribution In an archipelago like Indonesia, the main production and consumption areas are far apart and transportation between islands is a problem. Shipment of fishery products by sea always has lower priority over otha cargo because fish tend to produce an unpleasant odour and tainting. As a consequence, the Government may have to provide special facilities for the transportation of these most perishable products. There is a need to increase the amount of refrigerated transport. The alternatives to mechanical refrigeration, e.g., the utilization of industrial by-products such as liquid and solid carbon dioxide, should be considered also. At present, the production capacity of carbon dioxide is 150 t/day, whereas the demand is for only 30 t/day, mainly for ice-cream distribution. The problem is to find a simple method for its incorporation with insulated boxes, vehicles, railway cars and fish holds. Improvement of distribution facilities is one of the most important factors for increasing fish consumption in Indonesia. Sanitation During the last decade, fisheries development has concentrated on catching facilities (especially motorized fishing vessels) and improved landing facilities, auction halls and marketing. However, the sanitary conditions remain poor and to date no attention has been given to their improvement. Quality control Although recently introduced, the Research Institute of Fishery Technology has been able to advise on quality control measures which have been taken up by the fishing industry. Advice on quality control has been given by the Directorate General of Fisheries since The Research Institute of Fishery Technology also assists Government with the inspection of producing centres, preparation and finalization of analytical methods and the procedures to be followed. In addition, it assists with training quality control officers, both in the Government and in the private sectors, and the preparation of quality standards. National standards for frozen prawn and froglegs have been legalized by the Department of Commerce, while standards for salted jellyfish, salted fish and salted-dried prawn are being prepared.

11 Although progress has been made in controlling the quality of export commodities, it is difficult to enforce these principles for commodities meant for local consumption, probably due to the characteristics of smallscale (home industry) fisheries. The Government will have to give special priority to these commodities if the programme of increasing fish protein consumption is to be successful. Institutional framework To solve the above-mentioned problems interdepartmental teamwork and an interdisciplinary approach are required. Until 1967, the Indonesian fisheries were smallscale, static, subsistence activities. However, in the last decade, new industrial fishery enterprises with modern facilities and sufficient provision of capital have emerged. They are having an effect on artisanal fisheries which tend to adopt new technology more slowly. Ultimately, there are two different patterns of fishery development in the country. On one hand, there is an industrial fishery sector which will eventually change the scope of the second sector, the artisanal fishery. Another phenomenon is the urgent need for fish protein by the people, especially in Java. In this connection, due to the unbalanced situation of fishery potential against the number of fishermen and total population as well, a considerable number of farmers and fishermen have to be transmigrated to outer islands. It is necessary to introduce appropriate technology in the rural areas. This technology should not be capitalintensive; it should be suitable to the local educational ability and able to absorb considerable manpower. This type of technology will be developed for inclusion in the Third f ive-year Plan ( ). It will aim to utilize the available resources efficiently so that the raw material can be processed and preserved into highquality end products. This is true especially in the new resettlement areas. The adoption of complex (composite) technology will continue; it is still necessary to stimulate icing, chilling, freezing and canning techniques, especially for the main export commodities. In the East Indonesian waters, a reduction industry (fishmeal plant) might have to be established to support the development of animal husbandry and fish culture industries. It is important that the programme should emphasize improvement of traditional methods by the use of appropriate technology throughout the rural areas, in order to improve the income of smallscale fisshermen as well as levelling the prosperity. In addition to the improvement of procedures and facilities for handling, processing, packaging storage and distribution, improvement of the institutional framework is necessary. In this way appropriate technology can be economically and technically tailored to sdallscale fishermen.