Preservative effect of garlic (<i>Allium sativum</i>) paste on fresh Nile tilapia, <i>Oreochromis niloticus</i> (Cichlidae)

Abstract

Fish begins to deteriorate as soon as it is captured from water and requires proper post-handling and preservation to increase its shelf life and retain its quality. The most popular methods used to preserve fish are freezing, canning, smoking, sun-drying, salting and pickling. This study explored the preservative effect of garlic (Allium sativum) paste on fresh Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, a widely preferred food fish in Ghana. Whole fresh fish samples obtained from a local market in Navrongo were treated with garlic paste and stored under ambient laboratory conditions. Garlic treated and untreated (control) fish samples were subjected to microbiological quality analysis and physical examination daily during the storage period. The garlic treatment extended the shelf life of the fish for three days. The untreated (control) fish had become spoiled by the end of the third day with evidence of extensive aesthetic deterioration and maggot infestation of the carcass. The study demonstrated that, garlic possesses bactericidal and other antispoilage properties against agents of fish spoilage.

Keywords: Garlic, Nile tilapia, antibacterial, preservation, spoilage

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