Processamento do pirarucu (Arapaima gigas, Schinz 1822) procedente da Reserva Extrativista Auatí-Paraná, município de Fonte Boa-Amazonas.

Abstract

Salting is a traditional method used in food preservation and, over a thousands of years, have being used to preserve fish. In the Amazon, the pirarucu is the species sold in larger bulk as salty and dry, but the salting process conducted in the region is entirely empirical and done without technical criteria and without hygiene and sanitation, since the capture to processing, packaging and transport, which makes it impractical to obtain a good quality product. This study aimed to standardize the process of salting and drying of pirarucu in the managed area, adjusting it to the good manufacturing practices and the requirements of the national market. There were collected 20 specimens of the pirarucu Resex Auatí-Paraná, Fonte Boa and applied two treatments: I - Wet-salting then dry salting and II - dry salting. For each treatment was carried out physical-chemical, microbiological and sensory analisys for a period of six months in storage. The yields for fillet with skin, head and wastes were, respectively, 52.98%, 6.95% and 23.75%. For the chemical composition analysis the moisture content found for the dorsal region was above the average established by legislation while in the ventral region was near or below that limit; the ash and chloride contents were within the standards; the lipid content was lower in the dorsal region compared to the ventral region. The pH of the samples ranged from 6.0 to 7.5, favoring the growth of microorganisms. TBA values ranged from 4 to 70 mg malonaldehyde/kg, indicating that some samples showed a deterioration state during storage. The N-BVT values were considered acceptable for dry salted fish. The sensory analysis of dry salted product showed that there was no significant difference between treatments for the parameters analyzed (taste, odor, appearance, texture and color). Microbiological analysis revealed the presence of halophilic microorganisms in some samples, however, the values of Escherichia coli, Salmonella, total and fecal coliforms are within the current legislation; the maximum storage time of dried salt pirarucu processed in the Resex, maintaining quality for consumption, was 120 days.