Nutrient Quality of Cultured Fish Species in the Black Sea: Evaluation of Fatty Acids, Amino Acids and Fillet Colors

Abstract

This study aims to examine the nutritional composition (amino acid and fatty acid) and fillet color of commercially produced cultured fish of the Black Sea. All fish species [(sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), sea bream (Sparus aurata), turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), and large rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)] were collected from the Black Sea’s aquaculture sites in 2020. Total amino acid values of fillets were listed as sea bream>turbot>large rainbow trout>sea bass fillet. The highest omega-3/omega-6 ratio was in turbot fillets, and the highest omega-6/omega-3 ratio was in sea bass and sea bream fillets (p<0.05). Consequently, it was concluded that the fish cultured from the Black Sea have excellent nutritional values, including high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids and appropriate amounts of essential amino acids and the cultured fish in the Black Sea are of good quality, nutritious and beneficial for human consumption.