Comparison of the fillet yield, protein content and amino acid profile of Clarias gariepinus and the Clarias gariepinus X Heterobranchus longifilis hybrid

The fillet yield, total protein content and amino acid profile of the Afric an sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell) was compared with that of its hybrid with the African catfish Heterobranchus longifilis Valencienn es, The flesh of the C. gariepinus x H. longifilis hybrid had a protein con tent of 18.3%, compared with 18.6% for C. gariepinus. The amino acid profil es were similar for the two groups. The fillet yield of the C. gariepinus f emales was significantly lower than that of the male and female hybrids and C. gariepinus males. The difference in fillet yield was attributed to the high gonadosomatic index (GSI) of the C. gariepinus females, compared with the other groups. The overall fillet yield was 38.9% for C. gariepinus and 43.8% for the hybrid, which has important implications for African catfish production.