SARDINE‐LIKE PRODUCTS FROM LAKE MICHIGAN ALEWIVES

Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus), the predominant fish species in Lake Michigan, were evaluated as a possible raw material for a sardine-like product. Smoking, air-drying, and frying processes prior to canning were used in the preparation of canned products. Sensory evaluation data indicated that alewives which were smoked and air-dried prior to canning in oil, mustard sauce or tomato sauce yielded products which were equal to or superior to commercially available sardine products. However, alwife samples contained chlorinated hydrocarbon microcontaminants (PCB) above the proposed 2 ppm tolerance level for these substances in edible portions of fishery products.