Title: Standardisation of the kiln smoke oven in Sierra Leone.

Post-harvest loss remains a challenge in Sierra Leone´s artisanal fisheries sector due to inadequate fish handling, processing, and storage capacity. Smoking is the primary processing method used by the fish processors. This study aimed to standardise the method of smoking fish using the improved smoking kilns introduced by Matis and the Icelandic government. A comparative analysis was conducted between the traditional Chorkor oven and the new and improved Matis oven, optimising the latter. Two experiments were conducted using both the traditional oven (chorkor) and the Matis oven with fresh herring. In Experiment A, gutted and ungutted fish were smoked, determining the time and quantity of wood required for the fish to reach optimal temperature in each oven. Smoked products were graded using sensory evaluation and compared. In Experiment B, two Matis ovens - one modified by extending the length of the steel plate covering the fire chamber and the other unmodified – were used to smoke 87.1 kg of different groups of fish. The time and wood used to smoke the fish, and the quality of the smoked fish products were compared. The average volume of fish smoked, and the average fuel (wood) used per hour for both ovens showed that the Matis oven was more efficient. Less wood was required to smoke the same weight of fish, which resulted in a higher loss of water content after smoking compared to the traditional oven. The results from Experiment B suggest that the Matis oven can be optimised and made more efficient by extending the steel plate length to the back of the oven to retain heat and prevent it from escaping. However, it is recommended to perform further experiments on heat distribution.