Flesh qualitative traits of tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna L.), a promising species candidate for aquaculture, captured in the middle Adriatic Sea in different seasons

Alessandra Roncarati; Alberto Felici; Francesca Mariotti; Paolo Melotti

Flesh qualitative traits of tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna L.), a promising species candidate for aquaculture, captured in the middle Adriatic Sea in different seasons

2014

Alessandra Roncarati | Alberto Felici | Francesca Mariotti | Paolo Melotti

The quality traits of the fillets from tub gurnard (<em>Chelidonichthys lucerna</em> L.) fished in the mid-Adriatic Sea were investigated. Forty fishes per season were sampled to evaluate the proximate composition, cholesterol content and fatty acid profile of fillets. Seasons significantly affected the quality traits of flesh. The protein content ranged from 19.39% in winter to 19.67% in summer, without significant differences. Lipid content was notably higher in spring (2.28%) and summer (2.32%), compared to autumn (1.72%) and winter (1.31%). Energy content was significantly higher in spring (416.45 kJ/100 g) and summer (417.97 kJ/100 g) compared to autumn (391.35 kJ/100 g) and winter (372.79 kJ/100 g). Saturated fatty acid content was highest in spring (35.88%), whereas monounsaturated acid content was not influenced by season. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content exceeded 37% of total fatty acid content during summer. The n-6/n-3 ratio remained favourably low across all seasons (from 0.16 to 0.18), with a slight significant increase in autumn (0.31). In conclusion, this study indicates that the flesh of tub gurnard has high nutritional value year-round, with the best results (in terms of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) being obtained in summer.

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