Effect of Body Weight on the Nutritional Content of Rice Field Eel, Monopterus albus

Abstract

The meat yield, nutrient composition, and quality of the skin and muscle of eels with different body weights, 124.10 ± 0.12, 253.42 ± 0.31, and 385.10 ± 0.44 g, was systematically studied, were determined to provide the basic data for the processing and efficient use of rice field eel, Monopterus albus. The results showed that muscle and skin accounted for a more significant proportion of eels with body weight of 253.42 ± 0.31 g, compared with other eels ( p < 0.05 and p = 0.03 ). As increasing offish mass, the collagen protein, essential amino acids, umami amino acids, and total amino acids in muscle and skin increased and then decreased. The eels with body weight of 253.42 ± 0.31 g had the highest contents of these compounds. In the skin and muscle of all test eels, the natrium, magnesium, and kalium were the main essential mineral elements. Similarly, with the increasing of body weight of eel, an increasing and then decreasing trend was observed for all essential mineral elements measured. Our results demonstrated that the nutrient composition of the skin and muscle of Monopterus albus could be significantly affected by body weight, and the eels with body weight of 253.42 ± 0.31 g had the most favorable nutrient composition.