Food System Lab Accra has been working to improve the safety, efficiency, and quality of smoked fish by piloting a modified version of the Ahotor oven.
Originally developed under the Sustainable Fisheries Management Project in 2016, the Ahotor oven was designed in collaboration with several stakeholders, including the CSIR-Food Research Institute.
The Ahotor oven consists of a smoking chamber made of cement blocks, a galvanized-metal fat collector, a wooden hood and a metal grid. Wood ash is placed on the fat collector to absorb fluids such as dripping oils and blood from the fish. A fish tray component, made from a wooden frame and mesh net, can be stacked on top of the smoking chamber. When 10 to 15 trays are interlocked and flush with the chamber walls, they form the cooking and drying chamber.
The oven uses fuelwood, produces less smoke, and emits minimal external heat—thereby reducing health risks for fish processors compared to traditional open-fire tripods, brick or metal drums, or the widely used Chorkor smoker. However, despite its advantages, processors reported several challenges such as uneven heat distribution, time inefficiency, and low production capacity. These issues limited the adoption of the Ahotor oven and needed to be addressed.
Responding to user feedback
In 2022, Food System Lab Accra modified the original Ahotor oven as part of the HealthyFoodAfrica project. The redesign was based on feedback from stakeholders and end users, as well as recommendations from a committee of experts.
The combustion chamber and combustion tube were slightly enlarged to hold more fuel and to improve heat transmission for faster cooking and increased capacity. The modified design now includes chambers for fuelwood, charcoal briquettes, and a built-in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) system, giving fish processors the flexibility to use various fuel options. The use of cleaner fuels such as LPG and charcoal also ensures lower emissions.
Smoking fish with LPG helps reduce deforestation and contributes to a healthier and greener environment. In addition, the combined effect of the fat collection tray and cleaner fuel options significantly reduced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) levels, while improving energy efficiency and product quality. For instance, the gas-fueled Ahotor oven showed over 50% improvement in energy efficiency compared to the traditional Chorkor oven, and 40% compared to the improved Chorkor oven, with added benefits of improved product quality and reduced smoking time.
Exploring affordable alternatives
To address concerns about the construction costs of both the original and modified Ahotor ovens, Food System Lab Accra also considered retrofitting the more common and less expensive clay/mud Chorkor oven. This was achieved by incorporating a fat collection tray into the existing oven, which continues to use fuelwood. These modifications help reduce PAH levels and aim to ensure that trays of fish are smoked evenly, resulting in consistent flavour, texture, and appearance.
Units of the modified Ahotor ovens—using charcoal only, fuelwood only, and a combination of charcoal, fuelwood and LPG—were constructed at the CSIR-Food Research Institute, along with a unit of the modified Chorkor oven. These were evaluated using different marine and freshwater fish species.
Demonstrating the impact in communities
In collaboration with the Fisheries Commission, Ghana, eight modified ovens were piloted in fish processing communities in the Eastern and Greater Accra Regions, including at the University of Ghana for teaching purposes.
To further evaluate the improved Ahotor oven in real-life settings, demonstrations were held for 152 fish processors and other beneficiaries in eight selected communities: Tema New Town, Joma (two locations), Ahwiam, University of Ghana, Akosombo (two locations), and Kpong.
Participants received training on proper handling and operation of the ovens, food safety practices, good manufacturing and hygienic procedures, and the hygienic handling and processing of fish. The training also included nutrition education, with a focus on incorporating fish into children’s diets for better health.
The sessions boosted participants’ confidence in using the ovens and helped improve local fish processing practices to produce higher-quality smoked fish. Some processors expressed interest in acquiring more of the modified Ahotor ovens, even if it required partially covering the cost themselves. Feedback on income, time use, labour, and women’s health will be collected through an endline survey later in the project.
Authors:
Amy Atter1, Emmanuel Kwarteng2, Stephen Nketia1, Queronica Q. Quartey3, Richard Otwey1, Christopher Galley1, Frank Peget1, Jackline Boateng1, Stacy Ayitey1, Patricia Mensah1, Eric Dogbey1, Wisdom Amoa-Awua1, Seth Koranteng Agyakwah4
1CSIR- Food Research Institute
2University of Ghana
2Labour Productivity Centre
3CSIR- Water Research Institute