Hilsa is famous for its unique taste and smell. The taste and smell of freshwater hilsa is different from that of saltwater hilsa. There are various legends about the difference in the taste of hilsa from different rivers. However, there is not much information available on the scientific basis of the difference in taste.
Dinesh Chandra Saha, a professor at the Fisheries Management Department of the Faculty of Fisheries Science at Gazipur Agricultural University, and his research team have recently tried to find the answer to that question through a study. The results of the study, funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, have shown that the taste of the Hilsa from the Tentulia River is superior to that of the Hilsa from the Meghna River. The researchers have also found various reasons behind the difference in taste.
Professor Dinesh Chandra Saha told Prothom Alo that after a year of research and experiments, they have found that there is a scientific basis for the differences in the taste of hilsa from different rivers in the country. Not only that, they have also found out the reason for the differences.
Differences in taste due to food
Although there have been studies on the nutritional differences of hilsa in the country, there has been no previous study on the scientific explanation for the differences in taste. The originality of this study is that the researchers analyzed the data after closely observing three factors separately. After testing the quality of fish food in the water, the food found in the fish’s stomach, and the fish meat, the researchers confirmed that the taste of hilsa differs due to the food in the water.
The study was conducted on Hilsa from the Tentulia and Meghna rivers. Professor Dinesh Chandra and his team analyzed the water quality of the two rivers, the presence of plankton (various types of organisms) and the nutritional content of the fish to find out the reason for the differences. The content of myristic, oleic and lauric fatty acids is higher in Hilsa from Tentulia than in Meghna. Apart from this, amino acids like glutamic, glycine and alanine are also found in Hilsa from Tentulia. The high content of fatty acids and amino acids has a significant impact on the taste.
Hilsa fishFile photo: Prothom Alo
The study also found that the taste of hilsa from three rivers in the south – Payra, Bishkhali and Baleshwar – also varies widely. Researcher Dinesh Chandra Saha believes that this variation in taste may be related to the presence of plankton and other environmental factors.
Tentulia Hilsa vs. Meghna Hilsa
The study revealed that the taste-active components of Tentulia hilsa are higher than those of Meghna hilsa. Tentulia hilsa has more myristic, oleic and lauric fatty acids. Comparatively less myristic and lauric acids were found in Meghna hilsa. Similarly, the quality of amino acids in Tentulia hilsa is higher than that of Meghna. In particular, the amount of glutamic acid, glutamine, aspartic acid, alanine and glycine is higher in Tentulia hilsa. Some amino acid deficiencies have been observed in Meghna hilsa.
The plankton profile of the Hilsa from the two rivers was examined and it was found that the Tentulia River water contained 60 percent diatoms (photosynthetic organisms), which are the main source of higher fatty acids and glutamic acid. On the other hand, the Meghna Hilsa had a 40 percent chlorophyte content in its stomach, but only 25 percent diatom content.
How the research began
Dinesh Chandra Saha had been thinking about researching the taste of hilsa for a long time. He talked to fishermen and hilsa buyers in Bhola about this. They think that hilsa from Tentulia is tastier than that from Meghna. The demand and price of hilsa from Tentulia is high. The difference in taste may be due to the difference in salt and fresh water. Of the two rivers, Tentulia has fresh water all year round, while Meghna has fresh water for six months and salt water for the remaining six months. The taste of freshwater hilsa also differs. So why? Professor Dinesh and his team chose hilsa from Meghna and Tentulia rivers as samples to find the answer to this question.
They began their research with the assumption that the difference in taste is due to the diversity of plankton. The assumption was made based on a research article by Professor Dinesh Chandra Saha published in the scientific journal Nature in 2022. In that article, Professor Saha identified a group of dominant phytoplankton as the main source of fatty acids in the body of Meghna hilsa. In continuation of that, he started research on the difference in taste between Meghna and Tentulia hilsa in July 2023. It was completed in June 2024. Later, the data was analyzed. A team of postgraduate students from his department worked with Professor Dinesh Chandra Saha in the research.Read more
Meghna’s hilsa is the best in the world
Hilsa fishFile photo: Prothom Alo
The researchers first conducted a nutritional profiling (amino and fatty acid analysis) of the water salinity of the Meghna and Tentulia rivers, fish food in the water, and hilsa. Later, they collected hilsa from fishermen of the two rivers and tested various processes including stomach food and the body structure of the fish, taste activity components, etc. Finally, they reached a conclusion.
Professor Dinesh Chandra Saha told Prothom Alo, “Phytoplankton is the producer and main supplier of amino and higher fatty acids. Since fish cannot synthesize amino acids and fatty acids, fish have to obtain them from food. And diatoms are the main source of higher fatty acids and glutamic acid, which make food delicious. This element is more in the stomach of Tentulia hilsa than Meghna. This is mainly why Tentulia hilsa is more delicious than Meghna.”
In this regard, fisheries scientist Abdul Wahab told Prothom Alo, “Professor Dinesh Chandra Saha and his team have done a great job in discovering the taste of hilsa. This will play a major role in enriching the country’s hilsa resources.”
Source: Prothom Alo
