Search

Muscle lipid content affects many quality features in salmonids in both raw and processed fillets. The objective of the present work was to assess the consequences of 7 generations of divergent selection for muscle adiposity on some rainbow trout flesh quality and muscle parameters. Fish from Lean (L) and Fat (F) lines had a similar body weight but L fish were longer and had consequently lower condition factor values. Carcass yield was not affected, but L fish had lower hepato- and gonado-somatic indexes, a bigger head, and lower fillet yield than F fish. A difference of more than 15 points in mean fat-meter® values (genetic selection criteria) was measured between the two lines. Mean muscle lipid content was 5.0±1.0 % for L line vs 13.5±2.2 % for F line. An absolute difference of more than 6 % was measured in fillet dry matter content between the two lines, for raw, cooked, and smoked fillets. Raw fillets from F fish were lighter (L*>) and more colorful (a* and b*>), but softer than those from the L line. Quality parameters of cooked fillets were very similar between the two lines, whereas smoked fillets exhibited, between the two lines, similar differences than raw fillets. A large difference in white muscle fiber size was observed, fish from F line having higher fiber mean diameter, fewer small fibers, and more large fibers. Sex effects were observed on these immature fish, on classically sex-related traits (GSI and head development), but also on muscle fiber size. Raw fillet color was positively correlated to muscle adiposity whereas mechanical resistance was negatively correlated. Raw fillet mechanical resistance was also negatively correlated to white muscle fiber size. Moreover, smoked fillet quality parameters were correlated to raw fillet ones. The relationships between muscle adiposity, but also muscle cellularity, and fillet quality were discussed.

AbstractZebrafish (Danio rerio) have been proposed as a possible model organism for nutritional physiology. However, this potential has not yet been realized and studies on the field remain scarce. In this work, we investigated in this species the effect of a single meal as well as that of an increase in the ratio of dietary carbohydrates/proteins on the postprandial expression of several hepatic and muscle metabolism-related genes and proteins. Fish were fed once either a commercial diet (experiment 1) or one of two experimental diets (experiment 2) containing different protein and carbohydrate levels after 72 h of starvation. Refeeding induced the postprandial expression of genes of glycolysis (GK, HK1) and lipogenesis (FAS, G6PDH, ACCa) and inhibited those of gluconeogenesis (cPEPCK) and beta-oxidation (CPT1b) in the viscera. In the muscle, refeeding increased transcript levels of myogenesis (Myf5, Myogenin), inhibited those of Ub-proteasomal proteolytic system (Atrogin1, Murf1a, Murf1b), and induced the activation of key signaling factors of protein synthesis (Akt, 4EBP1, S6K1, S6). However, diet composition had a low impact on the studied factors. Together, these results highlight some specificity of the zebrafish metabolism and demonstrate the interest and the limits of this species as a model organism for nutritional physiology studies.

Groups of juvenile rainbow trout were fed to satiation for 10 days after 1, 11 and 21 days of feed deprivation. These fish (initial body WEIGHT = 20 ± 2 g) were previously fed at different feeding levels (0.5 or 1.5 % initial body weight, to satiation) with a high (20.4 kJ·g–1) or a low (16.2 kJ·g–1) digestible energy diet content for 34 days. It is shown that past nutritional history affected growth performance: duration of feed deprivation has a major effect on intake and feed conversion efficiency; previous feeding level has an effect on intake; dietary energy content affected feed conversion efficiency. In addition, an attempt was made to identify some of the metabolic parameters that could be involved in the increase in growth performance during the 10-day feeding period (whole body and muscle protein and lipid, plasma glucose, free fatty acids and triglycerids). Feed intake after fasting does not appear to be driven by body composition but feed conversion efficiency was correlated with the plasma glucose and free fatty acids.

The effect of increasing non-protein energy level in a 40% protein diet on the voluntary feed intake (VFI) was investigated in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish were fed to satiety using two different methods, hand feeding or time restricted self-feeding. Regardless of the feeding methods, the VFI ind the feed: gain ratio was always significantly higher for the fish fed the low energy diet than for those fed the high energy diet. In addition, no effect of the diet on the specific growth rate could be detected. It is concluded that fish were able to regulate with a great accuracy their feed intake when fed either by hand or by self-feeders. This regulation was precise enough to satisfy their energy needs and led fish fed the two different experimental diets to reach identical growth performance, regardless of the feeding technique.

High energy extruded diets were formulated to contain the same level of protein supplied either by soy protein concentrate (SPC) or fish meal. Three experiments were performed in order to measure voluntary feed intake and feed waste, faecal losses and soluble losses of nitrogen and phosphorus in rainbow trout (average body weight: 100 g). Voluntary feed intake and growth performance of fish fed with demand feeders were not different when diets contained 0, 50 or 75 % SPC instead of fish meal. Total replacement of fish meal by SPC led to a significant decrease in feed intake and resulted in poor growth. This was partly due to methionine deficiency in the SPC based diet. With the addition of crystalline DL-methionine in the diets, an improvement of feed intake and growth performance was apparent. Protein digestibility was high, regardless of the protein source. Excretion of ammonia and urea increased with the level of SPC in the diet. Nitrogen losses decreased when methionine was added to the diet containing only SPC as a protein source. Availability of phosphorus increased with the level of SPC in the diets. Daily soluble losses were not affected by the dietary treatments but the pattern of phosphorus excretion after feed intake was modified. The rise in soluble phosphorus in water occurred later when fish were fed diets with soy protein whatever the dietary level of soy protein concentrate.

Au cours des 30 dernières années, l’aquaculture mondiale n’a cessé de croître pour répondre à la demande croissante de poisson pour la consommation humaine qui ne peut plus être satisfaite par les seules captures de pêche. En conséquence, la demande de matières premières pour les aliments aquacoles augmente, tandis que le volume disponible de farine de poisson, ingrédient traditionnellement majoritaire dans ces aliments, reste stable. Cela a conduit à une substitution des ressources marines par des produits végétaux comme ingrédients pour les aliments pour poissons. La proportion de farine de poisson dans les aliments piscicoles a été réduite d’un tiers et est remplacée par une combinaison de sources protéiques végétales qui fournissent les acides aminés indispensables en quantité suffisante pour répondre aux besoins des poissons. Une large gamme de produits végétaux a été prospectée pour remplacer la farine de poisson. Sur la base de leur composition et de leur disponibilité sur le marché, les produits végétaux les plus utilisés en Europe sont des graines d’oléagineux (soja, colza, tournesol) sous forme de tourteaux ou de concentrés protéiques, des protéagineux (lupin, féverole, pois), des céréales (maïs, blé) ou des extraits de protéines obtenus à partir de céréales, comme par exemple les glutens. Néanmoins, les études ayant porté sur des taux de substitution très élevés (peu ou pas de farine de poisson) ont mis en évidence des verrous physiologiques bien que les régimes contenaient tous les nutriments nécessaires : une baisse de la consommation alimentaire, de l’efficacité alimentaire et du taux de croissance des poissons, ainsi que des modifications métaboliques. Les travaux de recherche doivent être poursuivis afin d’améliorer l’efficacité nutritionnelle des produits végétaux via une réduction de leurs facteurs antinutritionnels et des toxines qu’ils contiennent, mais aussi par une meilleure adaptation des poissons à ces nouveaux aliments.