217 International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development Online ISSN: 2349-4182 Print ISSN: 2349-5979 www.allsubjectjournal.com Volume 3; Issue 1; January 2016; Page No. 217-222 Investigation of physico-chemical and microbial quality of two smoke-dried freshwater fish species; Chapila (Gudusia chapra) and baim (Mastacembelus pancalus) treated with salt-turmeric solution storage at room temperature (26-31 0 C) 1 Mosarrat Nabila Nahid, 2 Dr. Gulshan Ara Latifa, 3 Dr. Shubhash Chandra Chakraborty, 4 Farzana Binte Farid, 5 Mohajira Begum 1, 2, 4 Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh 3 Department of Fisheries Technology, Bangladesh Agricultural University 5 Institute of Food Science and Technology, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka, Bangladesh Abstract This study assessed the comparative changes in sensory characteristics, microbiological quality and biochemical components of salt and turmeric (S+T) treated two different smoke-dried freshwater small fish, Chapila (Gudusia chapra) and Baim (Mastacembelus pancalus) during storage at room temperature (26-31 0 C) using standard methods of analyses. It was revealed that salt and turmeric treated smoke-dried Chapila (G. chapra) contained ; moisture 6.21-12.54%, protein 45.93-43.01%, lipid 30.81-27.82%, ash 18.95- 16.91% TVB-N value 4.65-20.83 mgN/100g and TVC 1.8×10 3 -2.3×10 6 CFU/g while salt and turmeric treated smoke-dried Baim (M. pancalus) produced moisture 6.97- 12.53%, protein 59.22-57.17%, lipid 11.67-9.56%, ash 22.54-20.81%, TVB-N value 6.62- 20.25mgN/100g and TVC 1.1×10 3 -2.0×10 6 CFU/g. It was observed that the TVB-N value have inverse relationship with the sensory score of both smoked-dried products. From the overall performance, salt-turmeric treated smoke-dried Baim has better shelf-life (20 month) than Chapila (14month). Keywords: Chapila, Baim, physico-chemical quality, Smoke-drying, Salt-turmeric 1. Introduction Among the good quality animal protein sources, fish is the most perishable. Spoilage set in because fish is susceptible to microbial and enzymatic deterioration and quality reduction occur, if proper steps are not applied to process the fish [1] . The fish loses its organoleptic characteristics and becomes progressively more unacceptable for human consumption. It is a metabolic process that causes food to be undesirable or unacceptable for human consumption due to changes in sensory and nutritional characteristics [2] . The processing and preservation of fresh fish were of utmost importance since fish is highly susceptible to deterioration immediately after harvest and also to prevent economic losses [3] . If fish is not sold fresh, preservation methods should be applied to extend the shelf-life. Some preservation techniques currently used in the tropics include chilling, freezing, drying, salting and smoking. Among them Smoking is one of the traditional fish processing methods aimed at preventing or reducing post harvest losses [4] . Smoking enhances flavour and increase utilization of the fish. Methods of smoking fish vary between different countries and within the same country depending on the species of fish used and the type of product desired [5] . In this experiment we used common fresh water lean fish Chapila (Gudusia chapra) and Baim (Mastacembelus pancalus) which has unique test. In Bangladesh smoked fish is recent addition to the fishery products. Fish is normally salted before smoking. Different salting methods are being practiced by the smoked fish industry in different parts of the world [6, 7] . (Espe, 2001; Jittinandana, 2002). But in this research work salt & turmeric used before smoke-drying which are easily available and cheaper cost wise. Salt has been used as a preservative since ancient times, to protect food against bacteria, mold, and spoiling. Basically, salt works by drying food. Table salt or sodium chloride is a common preservative because it is non-toxic, inexpensive, and tastes good. Whereas turmeric is one of the oldest known anti- bacterial ingredients used by the ancient civilizations. In Bangladesh, turmeric is easy available and is considered as one of the important ingredient for cooking any kind of dish. Even in some parts of Bangladesh, rural people usually use turmeric for short time preservation of small sized fishes. But, there is very little scientific information about the use of turmeric in fish preservation. Due to the consumer awareness of chemical preservatives, extensive studies are being made on natural preservatives for preservation of meat and fish products. The purpose of this study was to extend the shelf life of fish treated with salt and turmeric solution which would not alter the taste and flavor of the food product or add a new undesirable taste. Salt and turmeric were selected because they are often used while cooking fish and easily available in the local market. Nonetheless, deterioration and spoilage still occur in smoked fish during storage. This study is therefore aimed at assessing the sensory and physicochemical changes in stored smoked