A Comparison Study on Flesh Quality of Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys croceus) Cultured with Three Different Modes

To compare the flesh quality of large yellow croaker cultured with three different modes, enclosure culture (EC), cage culture with feeding trash fish (CCF) and cage culture with feeding formula diet (CCD), thirty six fish individuals of EC (484.6 +/- 79.8 g), CCF (432.7 +/- 87.9 g) and CCD (416.9 +/- 49.5 g) were sampled to measure body color, flesh water holding capacity, flesh proximate composition, amino acids and fatty acids composition, and collagen and inosinic acid contents. The analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the yellowness of skin and the contents of crude protein and inosinic acid between CCD and EC (P > 0.05), and the two modes showed higher values than CCF (P < 0.05). Most of the amino acids (AA) in flesh were higher in EC than in CCF (P < 0.05), but CCD showed no difference in AA composition from the other two modes (P > 0.05). EC and CCD had higher contents of collagen, free AA and lower drip loss than CC (P < 0.05). In polyunsaturated fatty acids, EC showed significantly higher levels of C20:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 than CCF and CCD (P < 0.05), but CCD had significantly higher C18:2n-6 than CCF and EC (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the flesh quality of CCD fish is similar to EC fish, and these two modes have better flesh quality than CCF.