Dried omena contains 61-70 g of crude protein per 100 g, but cooking method dramatically affects its protein content. When stewed, it provides 19-24 g, while if deep-fried, it retains 44-60 g per 100 g. In this article, we explain these variations and how omena compares to other protein sources.
Omena (silver cyprinid/dagaa) is a beloved staple in many East African communities, especially around the Lake Victoria region, where it is mainly caught.
It is usually eaten whole because it is simply too small to gut properly. This is also why it can have a slightly bitter taste when not spiced properly. When well cooked and served with the right dish, however, that bitterness almost disappears entirely. Almost.
Despite its acquired taste, one thing omena excels at is protein.
According to the Kenya Food Composition Table (KFCT), which also provides the data for many local foods in our food tracker, fried omena contains 19.2 grams of protein per 100 grams (KFCT code 15101), while dried-stewed omena contains 27 grams (KFCT code 08018) and stewed omena contains 8 grams (KFCT code 15017).
However, I would consider these as a baseline because, as we will explain below, there are several ways of preparing omena, and this has a significant impact on how much protein it retains.
One reason omena's actual protein content can be confusing is that many of the studies quoted by search engines and AI overviews are based on sun-dried omena.
Two commonly cited studies are by Wessels et al. (2023) and Keya et al. (2025), both of which report protein content of around 60 to 70 grams per 100 grams. These figures are not wrong, but they can be misleading if you are not familiar with how the studies measured the fish.
Wessels and colleagues' study, published in Food Security, analysed sun-dried silver cyprinid from Lake Victoria markets and found a median protein content of 61 grams per 100 grams of processed whole fish.
Similarly, Keya and collaborators' paper, published in the European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, examined omena from warehouses, markets, and schools across Nairobi, Murang'a, Homa Bay, and Makueni counties. They found that sun-dried omena contained between 61.20 and 70.25 grams of protein per 100 grams, depending on the source, with warehouse samples averaging 67.53 grams.
However, these figures refer to sun-dried omena. But almost no one eats it in that state, since it is essentially uncooked fish.
Before cooking, it is usually sorted and washed too, because in the market it is normally displayed and measured using a gorogoro (a metal or plastic container), the same way cereals are sold, which means it can pick up a lot of dirt and other debris in the process.
And even if you did eat it sun-dried, it's worth noting that protein content in these studies usually includes the entire whole fish, including the bones, scales, head, and organs. Whether all of that protein is equally digestible is a different question, which we will come to in a moment.
To clarify how preparation changes the numbers, Keya and collaborators also tested deep-fried and stewed omena.
As shown in the table below, deep-fried omena contains 44-60 grams of protein per 100 grams, while stewed omena drops dramatically to about 19 to 24 grams per 100 grams.
| Preparation Method | Crude Protein (per 100g) | Fat Content (per 100g) | Moisture Content | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun-Dried | 61.20-70.25g (Mean*: ~66) | Minimal | 8.61-15.05% | Highest protein concentration; warehouses averaged 67.53g, schools 65.10g, markets 65.64g |
| Deep-Fried | 44.07-60.73g (Mean: 52.40g) | 19.47-20.30g | 7.83-12.07% | Oil absorption increases fat and calories; maintains good protein levels |
| Stewed | 19.30-23.75g (Mean: 21.25g) | 5.43-14.29g | 52.02-60.55% | Dramatically lower protein per 100g due to high water absorption |
Sourced from Keya et al.'s study
Protein drops off this much mainly because stewed omena absorbs a lot of water, and that extra moisture (52-60%, compared to under 15% dried) dilutes how much protein sits in every 100 grams.
Heat also causes fat and protein to bind together as the fish cooks, which makes some of that protein harder to extract in lab testing, and likely harder to digest as well.
It's also worth addressing the gap between KFCT's figures and what Keya and collaborators found. KFCT lists 27 grams for dried-stewed omena and 8 grams for stewed, while Keya et al. found 19-24 grams for stewed. This comes down to how much liquid remains when the sample is measured.
In the KFCT, dried-stewed omena (code 08018) refers to omena cooked with stew until most of the liquid has evaporated, leaving the fish relatively dry but still moist. This is closer to how many people prepare omena locally.
Keya et al.'s stewed samples, which contain about 19 to 24 grams of protein per 100 grams, had considerably more moisture.
On the other hand, KFCT's figure of 8 grams per 100 grams for "stewed" variant refers to a much wetter preparation, where the amount of stew is roughly equal to or greater than the amount of omena.
It's also worth distinguishing "fried" from "deep-fried," since these terms describe different cooking methods. The KFCT's fried omena (19.2 grams) refers to a sauteed preparation, cooked briefly in a small amount of oil, similar to how you'd fry meat in a pan.
Keya et al.'s deep-fried omena (44 to 60 grams), covered above, refers to fish fully immersed in hot oil, closer to how chips are deep-fried. The latter tends to extract more water out of the fish than the former, leading to higher protein content.
Regardless, neither the KFCT nor the two studies measured the ileal digestibility of omena protein. This matters because the fish is eaten whole, including parts like scales, bones, and organs. These contribute to the total nitrogen used to calculate crude protein, but that does not mean all of the measured protein is absorbed by the body.
Unlike popular protein sources such as beef, chicken breast, and whey protein, there does not appear to be a study that has measured the ileal digestibility of omena.
Ileal digestibility measures how much of a protein's amino acids are absorbed by the end of the small intestine. This data is then used, together with the amino acid profile of the food, to calculate its DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score).
For reference, here is how popular animal-protein sources score, based on published DIAAS research from Mathai et al. (2017), Bailey et al. (2020), Bailey et al. (2020, meat products), Shaheen et al. (2016), and Fanelli et al. (2024):
| Protein Source | Approximate DIAAS | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Skimmed milk powder | 105 | Mathai et al. |
| Milk protein concentrate | 120 | Mathai et al. |
| Whey Protein Concentrate | 107 | Mathai et al. |
| Pork | >100 | Bailey et al. (pork) |
| Beef | 90-100 | Bailey et al. (meat products) |
| Boiled egg | >100 | Fanelli et al. |
| Tilapia | >100 | Shaheen et al. |
It would be irresponsible for us to give omena a DIAAS score without actually testing its amino acid composition and ileal digestibility.
However, as we mentioned earlier, not everything that contributes to omena's crude protein content is necessarily absorbed or used by the body in the same way. The fish is eaten whole, including scales, bones, and organs, all of which contribute to the measured crude protein.
Because omena is eaten whole, and because crude protein is measured by nitrogen content rather than by tracking which amino acids the body actually absorbs, part of the measured protein almost certainly comes from bone, scale, and connective tissue that contributes little usable protein.
Without an ileal digestibility study specific to omena, there is no reliable way to quantify how much lower the usable protein figure is.
What we can say is that the crude protein figures above (27 grams for dried-stewed, 44 to 60 grams for deep-fried, 19 to 24 grams for stewed) are accurate for tracking purposes, since they reflect the food as actually eaten.
But they likely overstate the protein your body absorbs, the same way crude protein overstates usable protein for any food, just probably more so here given the bone and scale content.
We will update this article if future research measures the actual ileal digestibility and amino acid profile of omena.
| Protein Source | Protein Content (g) |
|---|---|
| Sun-dried Omena (crude) | 61-70g |
| Deep-fried Omena | 44-60g |
| Stewed Omena | 19-24g |
| Chicken Breast (cooked) | 31g |
| Beef (cooked) | 26g |
| Eggs (boiled) | 13g per 100g (about 6g per medium egg) |
When you see that chicken breast contains 31g protein per 100g, that measurement usually reflects:
Omena's figures, by contrast, measure the whole fish as eaten, including bones and scales. This means the comparison above is not a like-for-like one. Omena's crude protein numbers will look higher partly because they include mass that chicken breast's figure excludes entirely, not necessarily because the body absorbs more usable protein from omena than from chicken. As covered above, no ileal digestibility study exists for omena, so we cannot say by how much this inflates the comparison, only that it does.
Despite the measurement nuances, omena remains exceptionally nutritious across multiple dimensions.
| Nutrient | Sun-Dried | Deep-Fried | Stewed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium (mg/100g) | 1,412-1,884 | 2,972-3,646 | 3,621-3,669 | Stewed is highest. Acids from tomatoes help extract calcium from edible bones |
| Iron (mg/100g) | 3.31-5.89 (avg 4.47 warehouses) | 3.75-6.48 (up to 6.48 at Market 2) | 2.10-2.77 | Deep-fried and sun-dried retain more iron |
| Zinc (mg/100g) | 5.24-6.07 | 4.19-6.40 | 3.63-4.29 | Sun-dried and deep-fried maintain higher levels |
Beyond protein, omena offers exceptional calcium (up to 3,669 mg/100g when stewed), omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc, making it one of Kenya's most affordable and nutrient-dense protein sources.
Like omena, other traditional protein sources such as kumbekumbe (winged termites) offer exceptional nutrient density, providing both high protein and essential minerals.
Current research suggests Lake Victoria could sustainably yield 2 million tonnes of silver cyprinid annually, four times the current catch. This potential could provide significant protein and micronutrients to an estimated 33 million people in the Lake Victoria basin.
However, the 2025 study confirmed quality control issues with market-available omena:
These factors suggest that while omena's nutritional potential is enormous, improved processing and handling could maximize both safety and nutritional value.
Based on Keya et al.'s study, our recommendations for omena intake are as follows.
If your primary goal is protein intake:
If bone health is a priority, Stewed omena provides exceptional calcium (3,621-3,669 mg/100g). This is because the acid in tomato-based stews helps extract calcium from bones.
Despite lower protein retention, stewed omena remains practical because:
The actual protein content varies dramatically based on preparation method:
These figures measure the whole fish, including bones and scales, unlike chicken breast, which measures only edible muscle meat. This methodological difference means the numbers above should not be read as a direct, apples-to-apples comparison of how much usable protein each food delivers to your body.
Without an ileal digestibility study specific to omena, we cannot quantify how much lower its usable protein is relative to its crude figure.
For tracking purposes, log the crude protein figure that matches how you prepared and ate the fish. For nutritional planning beyond protein alone, omena's calcium, omega-3s, and micronutrient density remain genuinely exceptional regardless of these measurement nuances.
Preparation method should be chosen based on goals like protein concentration, calcium, or practicality for large-scale feeding.
Editor's Note: Nutritional values are based on recent research from multiple Kenyan counties and represent general trends. Individual samples may vary based on fish size, age, feed quality, and specific processing methods. All protein measurements are on a wet-weight or as-prepared basis, matching how the food is actually eaten.
Reviewed by Grace Mutua, nutritionist.
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