FOOD SCIENCE ›› 2013, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (21): 75-82.doi: 10.7506/spkx1002-6630-201321016

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Nutritional Composition of Muscles from 8 Species of Economic Fishes

XU Xing-hong1,LIU Xiang2   

  1. 1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Huaihai Institute of Technology, Lianyungang 222005, China;2. Plant
    Inspection and Quarantine Department, Lianyungang Entry-exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Lianyungang 222042, China
  • Received:2012-08-18 Revised:2013-09-17 Online:2013-11-15 Published:2013-10-28
  • Contact: XU Xing-hong E-mail:xhxu119@163.com

Abstract:

The biochemical composition, including fatty acids and amino acids profiles in the muscles of eight species of fish
available on the market in China was examined. The eight species studied included fish farmed in freshwater (Cyprinus carpio,
Ophiocephalus argus, Aristichthys nobilis), fish farmed in seawater (Lateolabrax japonicus, Cynoglossus semilaevis), and
wild fish from the Yellow Sea (Pseudosciaena crocea, Trichiurus haumela, Stromateoides argenteus). Data suggested that the
lowest protein content on a wet weigh basis was observed in the muscle of O. argus (16.21%) farmed in freshwater, while the
highest was marine fish: L. japonicas (21.31%) and T. haumela (20.83%). Three species of marine wild fish were found to have
abundant lipids in their muscles. The highest lipid content was found in T. haumela (7.90%) and P. crocea (5.10%) caught in the
Yellow Sea, while the lowest was noted in the muscles of C. semilaevis (0.92%) farmed in seawater. The percentage of polyunsaturated
fatty acids (PUFAs) in freshwater fishes was also found to be higher than in marine fish in the current study, but
the ratio of n-3 to n-6 in marine fish (7.47—1.60) substantially exceeded that found in freshwater fish (0.09—2.20). The main
PUFAs from all fish species tested were docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and the percentage of DHA in
the lipids was higher than that of EPA. The lowest DHA/EPA ratio was noted in C. carpio (2.65) from freshwater. A relatively
higher DHA/EPA ratio was currently observed in the lipids of P. crocea (23.05), O. argus (23.02), and L. japonicas (22.49).
Three freshwater fishes were rich in linoleic acid (LA, C18:2n6c). The contents of n-3 PUFAs and (EPA + DHA) in the muscle of
C. carpio were found to be lowest. The lowest total amino acid (TAA) content on dry weight basis was noted in the muscles of
T. haumela (62.74%), and the highest was found in C.semilaevis (77.36%). C. semilaevi also had the highest content of essential
amino acids (EAA) (32.09%) while S. argenteus had the lowest EAA content (26.20%). The TAA and EAA contents of reared
fish, including freshwater fish and marine fish, were both higher than those of the marine wild fish tested. The predominant
amino acids among the essential amino acids of all fish species tested were threonine, leucine, and lysine while the nonessential
amino acids were glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Farmed marine fish were found to be richer in amino acids than fish farmed
in freshwater and wild marine fish in the current experiment. When compared with the FAO/WHO reference pattern established
for pre-school children (2—5 years old), all the amino acid scores exceeded 100 with the exception of phenylalanine and tyrosine,
leucine for A. nobilis, and isoleucine for C. semilaevis. Thus, the protein in the eight fish species available on the Chinese
market was well-balanced in terms of essential amino acids. In this study, L. japonicas from seawater showed better nutritional
quality than other fish. Three marine wild fish species (P. crocea, T. haumela, and S. argenteus) were more abundant in n-3
PUFAs, and had high levels of lipids.

Key words: fish, muscle, nutritional composition, nutritional evaluation

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