Abstract
Bottarga is a high-priced delicacy with high nutritional value, and, in Italy, bottarga from mullets has been recognized to be a traditional food product. The flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus and the thinlip grey mullet Liza ramada are the main cultured grey mullets in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, fresh roe and bottarga from these two species were investigated to evaluate the influence of the technological process and the species on their biochemical composition and health advantages. The 1 h/200 g salting-out step did not increase the levels of NaCl in the bottarga, although it highly decreased the levels of some heavy metals like Cu and Al. Processing of fresh roe in bottarga led to an essential modification of the lipid fraction, following a general series of monousatturated fatty acid (MUFA)> poliunsutturated fatti acid (PUFA) > saturated fatty acid (SAFA) and an increase in both ω3 and ω6 in Liza ramada. Moreover, bottarga showed higher levels of squalene and cholesterol and an increased Essential Amino Acid/Total Amino Acid ratio (EAA/TAA) in both species. In addition to the nutritional benefits for the consumer, the process proposed in this study may represent a reliable tool for local producers to obtain a final bottarga with both a reproducible biochemical composition and organoleptic characteristics.
Highlights
Grey mullets (Mugilidae) are cosmopolitan euryhaline species that inhabit coastal, estuarine, and freshwater environments proximal to high human populations [1]
In Italy, mullet farming is almost entirely based on extensive techniques, with coastal lagoons and semi-intensive ponds being restocked with wild juveniles [3]
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the biochemical composition and quality characteristics of ripe ovaries, fresh and after processing in bottarga, from two different grey mullet species grown in the Cabras lagoon (Sardinia, Italy)
Summary
Grey mullets (Mugilidae) are cosmopolitan euryhaline species that inhabit coastal, estuarine, and freshwater environments proximal to high human populations [1]. Due to their cosmopolitan distribution, they represent a popular target for commercial fisheries, reaching a whole production of 698,293 t in 103 countries in 2013 [1]. M. cephalus is the dominant aquaculture species; it can reach a length of up to 120 cm (weight up to 5 kg) with a maximum reported age of. 16 years, making it the prevalent mullet species [4], while L. ramada has a lower growth rate, reaching a body length of up to 70 cm (weight 2.9 kg) with a maximum reported age of 8 years [4].
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