Effect of dietary fat level on carcass traits and flesh quality of European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) from mariculture

• Main Authors: Severino Segato, Adolfo Corato, Anna Liguori, Carla Elia, Luca Fasolato
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2010-01-01
• Series: Italian Journal of Animal Science
• Subjects: Lipids, Carbohydrates, Fish quality, European sea bass
• Online Access: http://www.aspajournal.it/index.php/ijas/article/view/928
• ISSN: 1594-4077; 1828-051X

The study aimed at evaluating the effect of the reduction of dietary fat on juvenile European sea bass nutritional value and quality traits. Fish were reared in floating cages (Trieste Gulf, Italy) from July (11) to October (10). Two isoproteic diets were compared: LF (low fat, EE = 19.4%) vs. HF (high fat, EE = 24.6%). No significantly different growth performance was observed. LF diet-fed fish were characterized by the reduction of celomatic fat (not edible fraction) and by the increase in dressing percentage. The tested dietary fat level also affected both fillet and epiaxial white muscle proximate composition, resulting in a significantly lower fillet lipid concentration in LF diet-fed fish. Dietary treatment influenced cooked fillet colour and texture probably as a consequence of the different intramuscular fat deposition. Fillet from HF-fed fish, in fact, presented higher lightness (L*) value and lower instrumental strengthness.