Effects of Submerged Macrophytes on the Growth, Morphology, Nutritional Value, and Flavor of Cultured Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Abstract

Aquaculture environment plays important roles in regulating the growth, morphology, nutrition, and flavor of aquatic products. The present study investigated growth, morphology, nutrition, and flavor formation in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) cultured in the ponds with (EM group) and without (M group) the submerged macrophytes (Elodea nuttallii). Fish in the EM group showed a significantly greater body length, higher growth rate, and lower hepatosomatic index than those in the M group (p< 0.05). Moreover, compared with fish in the M group, those in the EM group showed improved muscle quality with significantly elevated levels of crude protein, total free and hydrolysable amino acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.05). Specifically, certain amino acids related to flavor (Glu, Asp, Ala, and Arg) and valuable fatty acids (C18:2, C18:3n3, C20:3n3, and C22:6) were more abundant in the EM group (p < 0.05). In addition, the levels of 19 volatile (p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the EM group than in the M group. Therefore, E. nuttallii significantly improved growth, morphological traits, nutritional components, and characteristic flavor in largemouth bass, indicating the superior nutritional value and palatability of fish cultured with submerged macrophytes.

Integrated 4D label-free proteomics and data mining to elucidate the effects of thermal processing on crisp grass carp protein profiles

“…Amino acid metabolism suggests that temperature changes may affect the synthesis and degradation of amino acids in muscle tissue. Given that amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and play an essential role in the formation of flavour, such impacts could alter the nutritional value and flavour characteristics of meat ( Zheng et al, 2022 ; Kasumyan, 2016 ). Changes in lipid metabolism pathways are equally important, as they may change the texture and nutritional qualities of meat, thereby affecting the quality of the final product and consumer acceptance ( Yang et al, 2019 ).…”