ICAR-CIBA Unveils Milkfish Deboning Technology to Boost Consumption
ICAR-CIBA has introduced a deboning technique for milkfish to overcome a key consumer barrier and promote value addition.
The ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA), Chennai, has introduced a deboning technology for milkfish, a move aimed at improving the fish's marketability and consumer acceptance.
Milkfish, sometimes called the "Brackishwater Carp", is seen as a promising candidate for diversifying India's brackishwater aquaculture. Under suitable farming conditions, it can reach a marketable size of about 500 grams in six months, with productivity of 4.5 to 5.0 tonnes per hectare. The species is herbivorous and can be produced at an average farming cost of roughly ₹100 a kg, while fetching a farm-gate price of nearly ₹200 a kg.
Despite its qualities — quality protein and delicate white flesh — consumer preference has been constrained by the many fine intermuscular bones that make the fish difficult to eat. The new deboning technique addresses this barrier.
M. Kailasam, Director of ICAR-CIBA, said removing the fine bones would make milkfish more acceptable to consumers and encourage wider consumption. He added that the technology opens new opportunities for value addition, entrepreneurship and greater consumer acceptance of the low-cost, nutritious fish.
To popularise the technique, the institute held an awareness-cum-demonstration programme at its Muttukadu Experimental Station. Fish farmers, fisher self-help groups, entrepreneurs, aquaculture and seafood industry representatives, seafood restaurant operators, students and other fisheries stakeholders attended.
Scientists harvested farm-grown milkfish from the institute's culture ponds and conducted live demonstrations of the deboning process. Participants were also shown how to prepare a range of value-added, ready-to-cook milkfish products with enhanced consumer appeal and commercial potential.