Slight Increases in Salinity Improve Muscle Quality of Grass Carp (<i>Ctenopharyngodon idellus</i>)
Xi Zhang,
Zhiyuan Shen,
Tianpeng Qi,
Rujuan Xi,
Xiao Liang,
Li Li,
Rong Tang,
Dapeng Li
Affiliations
Xi Zhang
National Demonstration Center for Experimental Aquaculture Education, Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pond Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Zhiyuan Shen
National Demonstration Center for Experimental Aquaculture Education, Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pond Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Tianpeng Qi
National Demonstration Center for Experimental Aquaculture Education, Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pond Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Rujuan Xi
National Demonstration Center for Experimental Aquaculture Education, Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pond Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Xiao Liang
Institute of Hydrobiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Li Li
National Demonstration Center for Experimental Aquaculture Education, Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pond Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Rong Tang
National Demonstration Center for Experimental Aquaculture Education, Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pond Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Dapeng Li
National Demonstration Center for Experimental Aquaculture Education, Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Pond Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Fish muscle quality is an important parameter in the aquaculture industry. In this study, we analyzed and compared the muscle quality of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) cultured at salinities of 0‰, 3‰, and 6‰ (GC0, GC3, GC6). There was no significant difference in crude protein and crude fat content of muscle between GC0 and GC3. Crude fat was significantly lower in GC6 compared to the other groups. GC3 and GC6 had higher hydroxyproline content, which suggested that these groups had higher collagen content. GC3 and GC6 had higher contents of free amino acids and umami amino acids than GC0, but there was no significant difference in sweet or sour amino-acid content among groups. GC3 and GC6 had better texture properties, including hardness, gumminess, chewiness, resilience, and springiness, than GC0. GC3 had the highest water-holding capacity among the groups. As the salinity increased, the diameter of muscle fibers decreased and the sarcolemma showed a thickening trend. These results suggest that a slight increase in salinity (i.e., 3‰) can effectively improve the muscle quality of grass carp.
