Chemical Composition and Elements Concentration of Fillet, Spine and Bones of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Relation to Nutrient Requirements for Minerals.

Simple Summary: Examination of the nutritional mineral composition of carp (Cyprinus carpio) tissues revealed that both edible (fillet) and inedible parts of fish (spine and bones) can be good sources of compounds with functional or beneficial influence on human health. Due to the high mineral content, carp bones and spine can be used as a natural calcium source in food and feed or as a supplement. Therefore, C. carpio bone by-products could be utilized taking into account the principles of a circular economy and can be even exploited by the food industry on a larger scale, facilitating better promoting by-products of this widely cultured fish species. The aim of the study was to compare the content of major components, selected elements and heavy metals in the fillet, spine and bones of a carp (Cyprinus carpio). Moreover, the extent to which a prepared portion of carp tissue (100 g of fillet and 10 g of carp spine or bones) met the requirements for analyzed elements in adults (women and men) and children was calculated. The proximate composition (total protein, total lipid, ash, moisture) and mineral content of the fish samples were determined. The nutrient composition presented fluctuations among the different tissues. Moisture was the main constituent in the fillet and in the spine with 77.8% and 56.0%, respectively, whereas in bones, the main ingredient was ash (36.2%). All carp tissues were good sources of protein, with 16.5%, 21.0% and 17.0% in spine, bones and fillet, respectively. The most abundant main elements were the potassium in the fillet (4005 mg kg−1) and calcium in the bones (116,463 mg kg−1). The most abundant trace elements were iron in fillet and zinc in bones and spine. Carp meat can be considered a safe foodstuff in terms of concentrations of Hg, Pb and Cd, as the levels of these contaminants were less than FAO and European Commission maximum guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]