Saifuddin Rana¹, Antar Sarker¹, Md. Nazmul Hasan², Shahida Arfine Shimul¹, S. M. Nurun Nabi³, Manjurul Karim³, Sk. Ahmad Al Nahid^1,

Fish and shrimp-based value-added products of Bangladesh have great potential in the food markets. A panel test was conducted on ready-to-eat shrimp and fish products, called the Balachao, with 60 respondents of different ages and genders to evaluate consumer preference. Twenty participants were chosen from each of the three age classes: less than 20, 20-40, and above 40 years, with a 1:1 ratio for males and females. Three groups of products were prepared: dried shrimp (A), Bombay duck fish (B), and ribbon fish (C). Each product group had three unique recipe codes with different dried fish and shrimp percentages. The proximate composition was analyzed to determine the nutritional value of the products. Participants' feedback on external appearance, taste, odor, juiciness, crispness, price and overall acceptability was collected through a questionnaire, categorized, and statistically analyzed. Recipes A2 (50% shrimp), B2 (50% Bombay duck), and C2 (50% ribbon fish) obtained the highest mean scores for each evaluation criterion, and they were significantly different from the other recipes (p < 0.05). In addition, the highest percentage of participants from different age classes and genders preferred these recipes. No significant correlation was found between overall acceptability and participants' sex and age class (p > 0.05). The study revealed that recipes A2, B2, and C2 had good acceptability to consumers and could be potential value-added fishery products in Bangladesh. The findings of this study will contribute to the field of consumer behavior and market potential for value-added fishery products.

Balachao, fishery product, value addition, dry fish, sensory evaluation, panel test