Abstract
Sea bass is a fish widely produced, consumed and appreciated in Italy. Its intensive rearing system provides the consumption of valuable fish to a wider population. Thanks to the use of an appropriate feed, it is possible to obtain reared sea bass which are richer in total lipid with a majority presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as n-3 and n-6 series. In this study, a total of 75 specimens of European sea bass coming from three different origins (two farmed and one wild) were considered, with 25 fish from each origin. Biometry traits were valued as of the chemical and fatty acid profile of fillets. Biometric indices, proximate composition and fatty acid percentage were significantly affected by the rearing system. Fishes from the intensive rearing system (IRS) showed the highest value of relative profile and condition factor, a higher content of lipid and total n-6 that influenced the n-6/n-3 ratio and the atherogenic indexes, and values that indicated their flesh for human consumption as a healthy alternative to the wild fishes.
Highlights
The aquaculture industry has been experiencing an expansion in the last few decades due to the high demand of fresh sea bass in the European market [1]
This study provides useful indications on the distinctive elements characterizing the nutritional quality of sea bass produced in Italy by intensive farming and grown in natural salt lake environments
Fish fillets from the intensive group showed a higher quantity of crude protein and had a triple amount of fat compared with Wild fish (WF) ones, characterized by similar values of SFA, MUFA and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
Summary
The aquaculture industry has been experiencing an expansion in the last few decades due to the high demand of fresh sea bass in the European market [1]. Fish farming offers the chances to control the quality of the entire production process and to obtain a final product with quality attributes as close as possible to those of wild fish [2]. The effect of rearing conditions may have a crucial role in fish growth and in the morphometric ratios of fish, which may affect the amount of the edible portion [3]. The visual appearance is an important attribute for the consumer/buyer and becomes even more important in the case of fish species of large commercial trade such as the small-sized (300 g) European sea bass. Many studies have stated that in addition to its economical characteristics, sea bass provides positive contributions to human health [4,5]
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