Antimicrobial Effects of Fenugreek (Trigonella foecum-graecum) Extract on Smoked Dried African Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

This study evaluated the antimicrobial effects of fenugreek (Trigonella foecum-graecum) extract solution on smoke-dried African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) stored at ambient temperature (32.0±2°C) over the period of 21 days. The experimental treatments were the control, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% (w/v) fenugreek extract solutions. A total of 70 fish of average mean weight of 30.98±1.32g were degutted, washed and soaked in the extract solutions for 30 minutes and later smoked-dried for 12 hours. The smoked-dried fish treated with 1.0% solution of extract had the highest moisture content of 12.33%, followed by 11.39% recorded in fish treated with 0.0% solution of the extract. Highest crude protein of 49.09% was obtained in the control while the least (37.76%) was recorded in the fish treated with 0.5% fenugreek extract. There was no increase in microbial loads in all the treated samples except in the control which increased from 5×103 to 18×103. There was no significant difference in the general acceptability of all the treated samples. This study revealed that fenugreek extract can be used as a preservative against microbial activities on smoked-dried Clarias gariepinus thereby reducing nutritional and economic loss.