Department of Biological Sciences, Benue State University Makurdi, Nigeria
Performance evaluation of a designed and developed smoking kiln was carried out on Labeocoubieusing three different charcoals and woods from Gmelina, African birch and Mahogany sppas energy sources. The kiln fabricated with locally available materials proved to be effective in the preservation of fish product by reducing the moisture content leading to reduced weight of fish from 337.4g to 167.6g within 14.44hrs. Proximate composition revealed increase in crude protein, fat and ash contents at decreased moisture content. Phytochemical examination of the wood revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, phytosterol, phenol, tanins, flavonoid, protein, terpenoid, glycosides, oil and carbohydrates which has great biological importance. Therefore, this kiln is capable of improving the quality of fish, reducing the drudgery associated with traditional fish drying methods and consequently reducing post-harvest losses.