Dietary lipid level, hepatic lipogenesis and flesh quality in turbot (Psetta maxima)

A study was undertaken with marketable size turbot to evaluate the effects of dietary fat levels on chemical composition. lipogenesis and flesh qualit y, Four experimental diets containing graded levels of fish oil in order to obtain 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% of crude fat were fed to triplicate groups of turbot (initial body weight of 660 g) for 12 weeks in full strength seawat er at temperature of 17 degreesC. Nutrient digestibility was not influenced by dietary fat levels. The best growth performance was observed in fish fe d 10% and 15% dietary fat. High dietary lipid levels led to higher fat depo sition in whole fish, although lipid level in muscle remained low (1.1% in dorsal muscle and 1.7% in ventral muscle irrespective of diet), Significant subcutaneous fat accumulation was detected in turbot. No protein sparing e ffect by lipid was observed in turbot fed high dietary fat. Hepatic lipogen ic enzymes (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, G6PD; malic enzyme, ME and a cetyl CoA carboxylase) did not show any dear change in activity in response to dietary fat content. With regards to quality parameters, there were no differences in gutted and fillet yields among treatments. Sensory analyses of dorsal fillets indicated only a difference in exudation (corresponding t o loss of water) and whiteness within treatments in accordance with instrum ental colour analyses and on ventral fillets, only a difference of sweet fl avour was observed. No differences in hardness were detected by either inst rumental texture analysis or sensory analysis. In conclusion, although high dietary lipid levels affected growth and whole body composition of turbot adversely they induced very few alterations in flesh quality. (C) 2001 Else vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.