Browsing by Author "Maundu,Anne"

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    A Review of fish value-added products in Kenya: Current status, challenges and areas for improvement
    (SUSTAINABLE AQUATIC RESEARCH, 2025-03) Kyule, Domitila; Munguti, Jonathan; Muthoka, Mavindu; Opiyo, Mary A.; Abwao, Jacob; Maundu,Anne
    Fish products are essential to Kenya’s economy and nutrition, yet their high perishability limits their accessibility and export potential. Developing fish value-added products—such as fish samosas, sausages, fillets, and powders— presents a promising solution, potentially enhancing resource utilization, reducing waste, and expanding markets. Despite contributing approximately 0.6% to Kenya’s GDP and supporting over 1.2 million livelihoods, the fish sector remains underutilized due to limited value addition. This review provides the first comprehensive synthesis of Kenya’s fish value-added sector—bridging fragmented insights on product types, technologies, economic potential, and policy gaps—offering a practical foundation for informed decision-making and investment. Key products included in this review are samosas, fillets, sausages, fish balls, smoked fish, fish oils, burgers, and soups, alongside primary processing techniques such as improved smoking kilns, Mama Karanga boxes, chilling, and freezing. The review followed the PRISMA framework to systematically identify, screen, and analyze relevant peer-reviewed articles, grey literature, and government reports. Out of 625 initially identified documents, 64 high-quality sources were included in the final synthesis. Results show that value-added products such as fish fingers, sausages, and samosas are increasingly preferred due to their profitability, consumer appeal, and potential to reduce post-harvest losses. However, their development is hindered by weak market linkages, poor regulatory and quality controls, limited access to technology, inadequate policy support, and limited awareness among consumers and producers. Increasing consumer and producer awareness through training, improved market information systems, and accessible financing options could stimulate growth of the fish value addition sector. This paper’s insights underscore the need for strategic interventions to unlock the potential of Kenya’s fish value-added sector, fostering livelihood enhancement and food security. Implementation of targeted programs and policies can transform the fisheries and aquaculture sector into a robust contributor to the country’s economic resilience and community well-being.
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    Apparent Protein Digestibility and Growth Performance of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) Fed on Sunflower and Cotton Seed Meal as Substitutes for Freshwater Shrimp Meal (Caridina nilotica)
    (Wiley, 2024) Maundu,Anne; Munguti,Jonathan; Sharma,Rekha; Kasoz,Nasser; Liti,David; Mavindu, Muthoka; Kirimi,James; Mutiso,Joshua
    ish feed is critical in aquaculture production, accounting for over 60% of operational costs, with protein being the most expensivecomponent. Traditionally, fish meal (FM) has been the primary protein source. However, due to declining capture fisheries andhigh demand, FM has become scarce and costly, necessitating the search for alternative, low-cost, and nutritionally balancedprotein sources. A 180-day feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing FM with a combination ofcottonseed and sunflower meal (SFM) in Nile tilapia diets on growth performance, protein digestibility, and economic returns.Freshwater shrimp meal was replaced at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% (diets D1, D2, D3, and D4) and compared to the control diet(D0) containing only FM. Monosex Nile tilapia fingerlings (25 Æ 0.01 g) were allocated to 15 cages within an 800 m 2 earthen pond.Fish on diets D0 and D1 showed superior growth performance metrics, including final mean body weight, weight gain, daily weightgain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and survival rate (p>0:05), compared to diets D2, D3, and D4. Growth perfor-mance declined significantly with increasing levels of the plant protein mixture (p<0:05). Diet D0 had the highest apparent proteindigestibility, while D4 had the lowest. Cost-benefit analysis revealed that diet D0 had the highest production cost, followed by dietsD1, D2, D3, and D4, with no significant cost difference between D0 and D1 (p>0:05). Thus, the plant protein mixture caneffectively replace FM at a 25% inclusion level in Nile tilapia diets.