Proximate Composition of Rita rita from Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Fish and fish products are considered essential in the human diet due to their high nutritional content, particularly protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to help maintain good health and prevent cardiovascular, inflammatory, and neurological conditions. Objective: To evaluate the proximate Rita rita body composition of the freshwater catfish Rita rita from Pakistan. Methods: Fifty samples of were collected from River Chenab Head Muhammad wala, Multan, Punjab and their proximate body composition was evaluated. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, while independent t-tests and correlation analyses were performed to evaluate relationships among morphometric parameters and body constituents. Results: Results showed that the fish contained 77.62 ± 3.47% water, 0.73 ± 0.19% ash (wet weight), 0.87 ± 0.19% fat (wet weight), and 20.78 ± 3.32% protein (wet weight). Correlation analysis revealed that water content was highly significantly correlated with protein (r=0.996), organic content (r=0.999), and ash (r=0.339), while body weight showed significant correlations with most body constituents, including fat (r=0.808) and protein (r=0.628). Conclusions: It is concluded that fish collected from the studied sampling site comprises good nutritional quality, especially in respect to fats and protein content, and hence highly recommended for consumption. Findings of the research work will be important for consumers to select proteinaceous fish and useful for nutritionists and ichthyologists working on the fish quality meat.