Muscle cellularity at cranial and caudal levels of the trunk musculature of commercial size sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758)

In eight specimens of Atlantic sea bass of commercial size (congruent to 350 g) muscle cellularity was studied at two selected sampling levels of the trunk axial musculature: caudal (anal opening) and cranial (fourth radius of the dorsal fin). The following parameters were quantified at both sampling levels: white muscle cross-sectional area, white muscle fibre diameter (900-1200 fibres), muscle fibre number and muscle fibre density. Results showed a higher total cross-sectional area at cranial than at caudal level (P < 0.05), what is related with their different gross morphology. However, the white muscle fibre size distribution, as well as the muscle fibre number and density did not show significant differences between them. This study contributes to typify muscle fibre sampling in sea bass of commercial size what is of great interest for morphometric studies where white muscle cellularity is commonly correlated with textural or organoleptic parameters.