Increasing sea cucumber production and value of dried sea cucumber products: project 3: Enhancing the sea cucumber industry appropriate processing technology

Date

2016

Abstract

The Philippines is known to be a major supplier of dried sea cucumber products; however, the quality is substandard and requires reprocessing to pass export requirements. Due to poor quality, the buying price for dried sea cucumber is drastically reduced, resulting in less income for small fishers and processors. Defects typical of dried sea cucumber include excessive moisture presence of decay; deformed shape (bending or twisting), undersized and presence of spicules. Hence this project was conceptualized to develop technologies that are appropriate to small fisheries and processors and can improve quality of dried products. The project focused on sandfish (Holothuria scabra) as a high value species and demand for dried product. To obtain an initial overview of processing and drying of small fishers, a small survey was conducted by the project team in several sites nationwide. Practices were documented and samples of processed and dried products were obtained for analysis. A mass balance analysis of the process flow was conducted to determine product yield. Results showed that harvesting small animals led to lower product yields. Allowing sea cucumber to grow to large r sizes led to higher yield per kg of degutted weight, while also commanding higher prices due to the greater sizes of the dried product. Stability of dried product is essential for long shelf life; if sandfish is not properly dried, mold growth and decay can set in. Moisture sorption isotherms were established for dried sandfish which established the appropriate range for product moisture content(0.12-0.1 g g1 dry matter) without over- or under-drying. This information could be combined with the water vapor transmission rates of packaging film to predict shelf life and moisture gain during storage. Technologies developed for processing sandfish included a mechanical cleaner and a hybrid dryer. The mechanical cleaner was intended to reduce the labor needed to remove the spicule layer of sandfish after the boiling stage. The hybrid dryer can utilize solar radiation as its heat source during periods of good weather. A firebox fueled by biomass waste (driftwood, coconut fronds or shells) can be used during rainy weather. Both prototypes utilize readily available materials for fabrication, and are simple to and maintain. Feedback from field tests with potential users (members of fisher associations, staff of aquaculture corporations) indicate acceptability of the hybrid dryer design with some minor modifications. Furthermore, quality of dried products processed by fishers was improved using the dryer. The improvement in quality gave positive indicators of profitability of the developed technology. Output of the various components of the project were presented at technical conventions of the Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers and the Philippine Association of Marie (DOST), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD). Presentations in technical conventions took the form in technical posters and oral papers. A draft version of a training manual on processing and drying of sandfish has also been developed.

Language

English

Document Type

Article

En – AGROVOC descriptors

SEA CUCUMBERS; HOLOTHURIA SCABRA; DRIED PRODUCTS; PROCESSED PRODUCTS; EXPORTS; KEEPING QUALITY; TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER; DRYING; DRYERS

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