Analysis and Evaluation of Nutritional Composition of the Muscle of Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola aureovittata)

Abstract:

Seriola aureovittata, yellowtail kingfish, is a globally-distributed marine pelagic fish species. This fish has high market value because of its excellent taste and nutrition. Many countries including China have launched artificial culture programs of S. aureovittata. In order to better evaluate its nutritional value and edibility, we analyzed and compared the nutritional composition of the muscles of farmed and wild fish using national standard methods. It showed that S. aureovittata had high levels of crude protein, essential amino acids, and delicious amino acids in the muscle, which well complied with the ideal protein standard suggested by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO). This demonstrated that S. aureovittata was a good protein source for human. According to the amino acid score (AAS) and chemical score (CS) values, the first and second restriction amino acids of the fish were Met and Val respectively. We also found the crude fat content in the muscle of S. aureovittata was higher than that of other fish species such as salmon, tuna, and groupers. Moreover, the contents of unsaturated fatty acid, especially the DHA-EPA combination in the muscle were high, which guaranteed good tasty and high nutritional value. Furthermore, the high level of minerals in the muscle was greatly beneficial for human metabolism and health. It was also shown that there was no significant difference in nutritional composition between farmed and wild S. aureovittata, although the former had moderately higher crude fat content and lower water content. The EP values for farmed and wild S. aureovittata were 13.44 kJ/g and 8.68 kJ/g respectively. In conclusion, S. aureovittata is enriched in proteins and high quality fat, therefore should be a promising candidate fish species for large-scale aquaculture in the near future.