Sensorial, Physico-chemical and Nutritive Characterization of Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) Meat

In the current paper were studied a number of 200 sturgeons from Polyodon spathula of 4th summer (P.s.3+) breed, reared in a fishery farm from North-East of Romania. Studying of modification of sensorial characteristics of meat, analysed just after fishing and during preservation by refrigeration during 15 days (+2 � +4oC), show an optimal keeping period by refrigeration of the studied fishes for 5-6 days. The pH level from the studied muscles oscillated between values 7.9 and 7.11, after slaughtering, and at 24 h after slaughtering between 6.88 and 6.89. The water content of fillet (lateral muscles) had values of 75.41%; protein content of fillet (lateral muscles) had values of 19.89%; lipid content of fillet (lateral muscles) was 3.45%; collagen content of fillet (lateral muscles) had values of 4.14%. The values of water-protein rate (w/p = 3.79) placed the analyzed paddlefishes in the second category; energetic value of fillet gathered from studied fishes was 114.31 kcal/100 g. The rate of amino-acids from the total sum was 26.23% for the essential amino acids, 4.61% for semi-essential amino acids and 69.16% for non-essential amino acids. As rate the quantity of saturated fatty acids recorded the value of 25.64% for epaxial muscles, respectively 25.83% for hypaxial muscles; rate of mono-unsaturated fatty acids was 54.77% for epaxial muscles and 54.50% for hypaxial muscles; poly-unsaturated fatty acids had a rate of 19.59% for epaxial muscles and 19.67% for hypaxial muscles. Through histological studies for establishing the rate of muscular and conjunctive tissues from meat of studied paddlefishes, was observed that in case of lateral muscles mean diameter had an intermediary value of 43.42 �. Those data leaded to obtain a mean area for transversal section of 1485.74 �2. Mean diameter of muscular fibre (43.42 �) characterize a meat with fine texture. Profile on transversal section of muscular fibres had an ellipsoidal shape; fact which was enlightened by the rate between great diameter and small diameter (GD/SD) which varied between 1.35/1 -1.61/1. The rate of the main tissue categories in composition of lateral muscles gathered from analysed paddlefishes revealed the fact that mean rate of muscular tissue was of 70.47%, while mean rate of conjunctive tissues was of only 29.52%.