PHYSICAL INDEXES, PROCESSING YIELDS, COMPOSITIONAL PARAMETERS AND FATTY-ACID PROFILE OF 3 SPECIES OF CULTURED STURGEON (GENUS ACIPENSER)

Cultured Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri), Adriatic sturgeon (Acipe nser naccarii) and white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) of market size were examined for condition factor, eviscerated and dressed yield s, white flesh yield, viscera-, hepato-somatic- and gonado-somatic ind ices. Muscle pH, chemical composition, cholesterol content and fatty a cid profile of flesh were also determined. Significant differences wer e noted between species in eviscerated yield and white flesh yield (lo west in A naccarii, highest in A transmontanus), viscera index and gon ado-somatic index (lowest in A transmontanus), but not in dressed yiel d. Muscle lipid content was 77.6, 106.4 and 44.9 g kg(-1) wet weight i n A baeri, A naccarii and A transmontanus, respectively. Acipenser bae ri had the lowest saturated and the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content, especially of the omega-3 series (as % total fatty acid meth yl esters). Given the differences that emerged under uniform feeding r egimen and environmental conditions, it would be reasonable to market the three species under their proper names, rather than under the gene ric term of 'sturgeon' as is presently done in Italy.