Nutrient composition of fish protein powder developed from Brycinus nurse (Rüppell, 1832)

A new product in the form of edible fish powder was developed from small pelagic fish (Brycinus nurse) which constitutes one of the major commercial fisheries in Lake Albert, Uganda. The objective of the study was to determine the proximate and mineral composition of the newly developed fish powder and also to compare it with Nile tilapia powder already on market. Results indicated that the changes in the amount of protein and ash were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) in fish powder than in fried samples. The increase in fat content of fried fish samples was found to be significant compared to other fish samples. No significant changes (p > 0.05) were observed in carbohydrate content for raw, fried, and powdered samples. Vitamin A decreased significantly in powdered samples. Comparing the B. nurse powder and tilapia powder (made from juvenile tilapia as raw material), the results indicated that B. nurse had higher levels of iron and manganese. Extracting proteins from B. nurse provides an opportunity to increase the utilization of harvested catch.