Answer: 214, broken down into 162 inter-muscular (between muscles) spines and 52 rib bones.
In times past, "tinik ng bangus" was good only for cats.
Until, a few years back, Dr. Laurentina Camorin of the Northern Iloilo Polytechnic College (NIPSC) in Estancia, Iloilo, succeeded in making a calcium-rich and protein-packed "polvoron" out of milkfish bones.
In making bangus bone polvoron (MBP), she soaked the milkfish bones in marinated solution overnight. Then she pressurized it for one hour before grinding it and subsequently drying it under the sun.
The ingredients in making MBP are milkfish bone powder, all-purpose flour, powdered milk, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.
It was not long when the EGM AgriFood Industires (EGMAFI) in Buluan, Maguindanao, came out with such milkfish and tilapia by-products as "chicharon" and "chorizo".
EGMAFI, which was founded in 1990 by Buluan mayor Esmael Manudadatu, has set up a processing plant in General Santos City (South Cotabato) with technical assistance from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) through BFAR-Region 12.
All the EGMAFI products are Halal-certified (prepared in adherence to approved Islamic standard/ and can be sold in all Muslim countries.
Now comes a project titled "Value-added Products from Milkfish Processing Waste" recently completed with funding support from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (DOST-PCIERD).
The project was implemented by the UP Visayas-Institute of Fish Processing Technology-College of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (UPV-IFPT-CFOS) in Miag-ao, Iloilo, with Sazon Fish Farms, Inc. as cooperating agency.
The waste were collected from selected milkfish canning, smoking, and deboning plants in Western Visayas (Region 6).
"As a result of the research," PCIERD headed by Executive Director Graciano Yumul Jr. reported, "high-value products such as pandan- and lemon-flavored restructured fillets, seafood terrine, skin crispies in brine and in marinade, and were developed from debone milkfish wastes."
"PCIERD added: "These products have shown promising signs in the local market." – Rudy A. Fernandez