Muscle amino acid profile of wild and farmed pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) in two size classes and an estimation of their dietary essential amino acid requirements

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pirarucu is a carnivorous fish species from the Amazon river basin. There is growing interest in pirarucu farming, but scarce information for specific diets is a limitation. We analyzed the muscle tissue amino acid profile of pirarucu in order to estimate its amino acid requirements by using a diverse sample pool. Wild pirarucu was captured in the Araguaia and Caiapós river basins (Tocantins, Brazil). Farmed pirarucu was purchased from fish farms in the states of Maranhão and Tocantins (Brazil). Fish were sampled in two size classes: 1.66 ± 0.22 and 10.49 ± 1.07 kg body weight. Multivariate statistical analyses were applied to amino acid profiles among the groups, using R software with Vegan package. Muscle amino acid profiles varied according to pirarucu origin and size class. Estimated values can be adopted to formulate diets for pirarucu. Pirarucu fillet is a good source of essential amino acids for human consumption.