A total of one hundred and eighty (180) samples of canned fish
comprising twenty-eight brands of mackerel, twenty-five brands of sardines, two brands of pilchards and five brands of tuna were purchased
from retail outlets in Kumasi in Ghana. Samples were transported
to the laboratory, coded for easy identification and then
stored in clean dry place until time for preparation. For each
canned fish sample, the fish sauce was carefully drained, the content
homogenized and a portion was taken for chemical analysis.
Most of the fish sauce consisted of tomato, water and salt; and in
some cases vegetable oil and spices.