No bleaching process in drying anchovy in Malaysia

Unlike the fishers in other Southeast Asian(SEA) countries, there is no direct use of bleaching materials in the anchovy drying process in Malaysia, and this feature makes more special the Malaysian anchovy in the SEA market despite the premium prices. Foreign fishers often use bleaching materials to prevent anchovy color from getting dark when sun-drying, and the whole process sometimes takes more than a week to completely dry. However, the bleaching process is not allowed in Malaysia since the materials can harm human health.