Valorization of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fish head for a novel fish sauce by fermentation with selected lactic acid bacteria

Valorization of Nile tilapia fish head hydrolysate (FHH) for a novel fish sauce fermented by non-halophilic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the absence of added salt was investigated. Lactobacillus fermentum PCC (LF-PCC), Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (LP-299v) and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cermoris 20069 (LL-20069) were selected. All the LAB presented good growth in FHH, but LF-PCC had better survival relative to LP-299v and LL-20069. No significant differences in glucose consumption were observed among the three LAB fermented FHH (P > 0.05), while there were significant differences in organic acids especially for lactic acid and acetic acid (P < 0.05). In addition, significantly higher levels of free amino acids were observed in LF-PCC and LP-299v (P < 0.05) fermented FHH. Furthermore, the sample inoculated with LF-PCC yielded the highest level of volatiles, including aroma compounds such as alcohols and esters, without the undesirable odor note that is typical of traditional fish sauce. On the whole, the LF-PCC exhibited better survival and fermentation performance than LL-20069 in the salt-free environment. This study demonstrated that non-halophilic LAB could be applied to the production of a novel fish sauce with a clean flavor.