Fatty Acid Composition and Sensory Evaluation of African Catfish, <i>Clarias gariepinus</i> Reared under Different Culture Enclosures

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the fatty acid composition and sensory quality of Clarias gariepinus from different culture enclosures (plastic, sandcrete tanks and earthen ponds), at the Teaching and Research Farm of Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. The comparative work was carried out to find out if habitat could influence the nutrient composition of the fish. Standard procedures were used in the analysis of tissue nutrient. Sensory evaluation study revealed differences in taste and texture indices considered for C. gariepinus reared in plastic, sandcrete tanks and earthen ponds (p<0.05). Fatty acid profiles of C. gariepinus were determined using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. The percentage of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids was higher (49.99%, 23.17%) in earthen pond cultured C. gariepinus than the plastic and sandcrete tanks. The study revealed that C. gariepinus raised in earthen pond possess fatty acid composition and sensory quality advantages over the plastic and sandcrete tanks.

Keywords: Fatty acids, Sensory evaluation, Culture enclosures, Clarias gariepinus