Effects of faba bean on growth performance and fillet texture of Yellow River carp, Cyprinus carpio haematopterus

Abstract

A three-month feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) on growth performance, intramuscular collagen content, muscle cellularity and fillet texture of Yellow River carp, Cyprinus carpio haematopterus. Carps with an initial weight 500 ± 20 g were randomly divided into two treatments: commercial feed group (CFG) and faba bean group (FBG). Compared to CFG, the results indicated that carps fed with faba bean had poor growth performance, higher intramuscular collagen content, smaller fiber diameter and wider intermyofibrillar space. However, the fiber density was not influenced (P > 0.05). The faba bean components showed lower crude protein and amino acid imbalance, especially, the deficiency in the sulfuric amino acid. The raw-fillet and cooked-fillet texture of FBG were both significantly greater than that of CFG (P < 0.05). Muscle fiber diameter and cooked-fillet texture showed significant negative correlation (P < 0.05), significant positive correlation between intramuscular collagen content and cooked-fillet texture (P < 0.05), and no significant correlation between muscle fiber density and fillet texture (P> 0.05). In summary, faba bean could improve the fillet quality for Yellow River carp. These findings would contribute to define the optimal nutritional conditions of pond culture to improve the flesh quality of Cyprinus carpio haematopterus.