Inclusion of fish meal in the coating of Nile tilapia nuggets

This study evaluated the effect of fish meal in the coating of Nile tilapia nuggets on their physicochemical and sensory characteristics. Nuggets and flours were developed from mechanically separated meat of tilapia. For breading, the nuggets were assigned four types of coating (0, 20, 40, and 60% of fish meal inclusion in the Panko-type coating flour), then pre-fried, frozen, and subsequently subjected to complete frying. In the pre-fried nuggets, the inclusion of fish flour in the coating caused a linear increase in protein, lipid, ash, and caloric value, while in the fried nuggets, there were a linear decrease in moisture and a linear increase in lipids and caloric value. The inclusion of fish meal resulted in a decrease in brightness (L*) and an increase in the intensities of red (a*) and yellow (b*) in the fried nuggets. Adding fish meal to the nuggets’ coating resulted in a linear decrease in hardness, elasticity, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and shear strength, however, without affecting the overall acceptability of the nuggets. Thus, it is concluded that the inclusion of up to 60% of fish meal in the coating of Nile tilapia nuggets is indicated to improve the nutritional profile of the product.