Egg quality determination in the gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, with biochemical parameters

Eggs of the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) obtained from natural spawning were collected from commercial broodstocks. In the viable, floating eggs selected biochemical parameters were measured and embryo survival to hatch was determined. Then biochemical parameter correlations with embryo survival to hatch were made to determine potential biochemical egg quality markers. From the investigated parameters (acid phosphatase, adenylate kinase, alanine aminotransferase, malate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphatase, succinate dehydrogenase, transaldolase, acetyl CoA, amino acids, ATP, DNA, fructose, glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, NADH, NAD, phosphate, phospholipid, monosaccharides, sialic acid) only the following were correlated with embryo survival to hatch: adenylate kinase, glucose-6-phosphatase, transaldolase, amino acids, sialic acid, glucose-6-phosphate, acid phosphatase and free monosaccharides. For all listed parameters the explanatory effect in simple regression models was low as R-2 was <0.450. Therefore, precise egg quality determination for S. aurata was not possible with single biochemical parameters. Hence, multiple regression models had to be formulated. Several multiple regression models with a high statistical significance (P<0.001) were developed. A regression model (R-2 = 0.741) with acid phosphatase, adenylate kinase, and sialic acid as independent variables is recommended for egg quality determination in S. aurata. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.