Effect of age and temperature on amino acid composition and the content of different protein types of juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) otoliths

The purpose of this study was to analyse the amino acid composition of otolith matrix protein, estimate the proportion of the water-soluble protein fraction, and analyse the effect of matrix composition on otolith visual appearance. Juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) were reared under constant temperature and feeding conditions and sampled at the beginning and the end of the experiment. The amino acid composition was dominated by asparagine, glutamic acid, leucine, serine, and proline. A change in amino acid composition was observed with increasing temperature and time, caused by changing proportions of the water-soluble and -insoluble protein fractions. Feeding level had no effect. The relative content of water-soluble protein was linearly related to fish dry weight and temperature. Otolith opacity, defined as the percentage of incident light absorbed by an otolith section, did not differ significantly between experimental treatments. The soluble protein fraction had a positive, albeit insignificant, correlation with opacity. Using opacity and otolith volume, deposited total otolith protein content was estimated with an R-2 of 0.91, where otolith volume alone explained 83% of the observed variation.