The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Food Research Institute (CSIR-FRI) is testing improved fish-smoking technologies in Ghana to determine their effectiveness in reducing harmful chemical contamination and smoke-related environmental emissions.
The study is also aimed at finding practical technologies that artisanal fish processors can afford and adopt without major changes to their traditional smoking practices.
The research is being conducted under the international “Reimagining Food Systems for Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Social Justice” project, through the Small Fish for Climate Change initiative, which is being implemented in parts of Africa and India.
In Ghana, the study is being led by Principal Research Scientist at CSIR-FRI, Dr Amy Atter, in collaboration with the University of Bergen in Norway, led by Prof Ragnhild Overå. The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway.
Dr Atter told the Ghana News Agency in Accra that researchers were comparing two improved technologies—the modified Ahotor oven and a retrofitted Chorkor oven—with the traditional Chorkor oven, which remains widely used by artisanal fish processors.
She said the research was particularly important because smoked fish produced using traditional Chorkor ovens could contain elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemical compounds associated with cancer risks when consumed frequently.
Some PAH levels found in smoked fish have also been reported to exceed international safety limits, raising concerns about consumer health.
Modified ovens seek to address safety concerns
Dr Atter explained that the Ahotor oven was originally developed in 2016 under the USAID-funded Sustainable Fisheries Management Project to improve fuel efficiency, reduce smoke emissions and minimise PAH contamination.
Despite those advantages, she said the original design had not achieved widespread adoption because some processors considered it expensive and difficult to operate, while also experiencing other operational challenges.
“These challenges limited its uptake,” she said.
Lessons from previous interventions subsequently informed efforts by CSIR-FRI and its partners in 2022 to redesign the technology under the EU-funded HealthyFoodAfrica project.
The process resulted in the modified Ahotor oven, alongside a retrofitted Chorkor oven equipped with a fat-collecting tray intended to reduce harmful contamination during smoking.
Dr Atter said the current study would provide the scientific evidence needed to determine the extent to which the two improved technologies could reduce PAH contamination in smoked fish.
Dr Emmanuel Kwarteng, a Fisheries Scientist, said the retrofitted Chorkor oven had deliberately retained the familiar design and construction materials of the traditional Chorkor oven to make it easier for processors to adopt.
He said the technology incorporated additional features to improve food safety while keeping costs significantly lower.
Research had shown that affordability and simplicity were important factors in encouraging adoption among small-scale fish processors, he added.
Six communities selected for study
The Fisheries Commission is supporting the research, with six fish-processing communities selected across the Eastern, Greater Accra, Volta and Central regions.
Ms Yaa Tiwaah Amoah, Head of the Post-Harvest Management and Trade Division of the Fisheries Commission, said the communities were selected following consultations with relevant stakeholders.
The selected sites are Akosombo, Kpong, Ahwiam, Joma, Vodza and Saltpond-Ankaful.
She said the selection was based on the communities’ active fish-smoking activities, their existing use of fish-smoking technologies and the willingness of processors to participate in the research and monitoring exercises.
The study is expected to generate evidence to guide the promotion of safer and more environmentally sustainable fish-smoking technologies while improving the quality of smoked fish produced by artisanal processors in Ghana.
