Abstract
Bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) successfully grow in polyculture with carp, feeding on plankton. It has good quality of meat for both consumption and industrial processing. Th e quantity of by-products obtained during primary processing of bighead carp and chemical characteristics of internal organs were investigated in this paper. Th e total average weight of by-products was 760.45 g (42.31%) in relation to live body weight, whichwas cca 1797.5 g. Th e by-product contributing to the largest quantity to total live body weight was the head with 529.39 g (29.45% of live bodyweight), followed by complete internal organs and tail and fi ns, which weighed 137.67 g (7.66%) and 68.82 g (3.83%), respectively Chemical composition of internal organs of bighead carp was mostly water (60.99%), following by crude fats and crude proteins (21.20% and 10.61%, respectively). The low collagen content (15.25% of total crude protein) indicates the high nutritional quality of protein content from internal organs. Nitrogenous complexes from the internal organs were predominantly proteins. Digestible nitrogen was approximately equal to total nitrogen (92.04%), indicating that all proteins of the internal organs had high biological value. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that bighead carp internal organs could be important sources of proteins and fats, and thus, could be used in Serbia as a raw material for feed and technical fat production.
Highlights
The aquaculture industry has grown rapidly over the last decade
The quantity of by-products obtained during primary processing of bighead carp and chemical characteristics of internal organs were investigated in this paper
The by-product with the largest proportion of total live body weight was the head with 529.39 g (29.45%), followed by the whole internal organs and the tails and fins which had weight 137.67 g (7.66%) and 68.82 g (3.83%), respectively
Summary
The aquaculture industry has grown rapidly over the last decade. Mariculture is expanding worldwide thereby increasing the demand for feed ingredients to support production (FAO, 2014). The rapidly growing sector directly depends on the aquafeed industry, which in turn largely depends on fish meal as its primary protein source. The global supply of fish meal has been limited, and meeting the demands of a growing industry has become challenging. Fish meal proteins experience periodic fluctuations in pricing and availability (Tacon et al, 2008). Freshwater fish contain high levels of PUFA, which makes them very important in human nutrition (Vladau et al, 2008). Consumption of fish meat is increasing, due to its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), amino acids and lipid soluble vitamins which are important ingredients for human health. According to the latest data from FAO (Ćirković et al, 2012) the Republic of Serbia is a country where the average consumption of fish is 5-10 kg per capita per year, which is significantly below the European and global consumption (Ćirković et al, 2011)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
