Post-mortem quality changes of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) during chilled storage from two culture systems

Background: Omega-3 common carp (OCC) raised by patented culture systems have higher level of n-3 fatty acids and n-3/n-6 ratio than normal common carps (NCCs) from traditional culture system. Whether the patented farming system and modified fatty acid profile will influence OCC storage stability is unclear. This study aimed to expose the differences of post-mortem quality changes between NCC and OCC.

Results: NCC and OCC have similar rigor mortis patterns, only a higher level of lactic acid was observed in NCC after 96 h. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) related compounds had no major differences, but slightly higher inosine monophosphate in OCC was found at 36 h. The K-value, Ki-value and Hx-index demonstrated high cohesiveness (Pearsons two-tailed, r = 0.968-0.984, P < 0.05) during storage, with statistically comparable (P > 0.05) temporal progress of change in NCC and OCC. The indices were lower in OCC than in NCC. Attenuation of myosin heavy chain in OCC was not as distinct as in NCC, coincided with its higher salt-soluble protein level at 144 h. Before 96 h, thiobarbituric acid value (TBA), total viable count (TVC), cooking loss (CL), drip loss (DL), and hardness in NCC and OCC were similar. However, at 144 h, higher TBA, TVC, CL and DL while lower hardness in NCC than in OCC were observed. Principle component analysis showed good separation of NCC and OCC in biplot at 0 and 144 h.

Conclusion: Patented culture system has a slightly positive influence on post-mortem quality of common carp. It can be used for producing OCC without compromising storage stability. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.