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The quality traits of the fillets from tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna L.) fished in the mid-Adriatic Sea were investigated. Forty fishes per season were sampled to evaluate the proximate composition, cholesterol content and fatty acid profile of fillets. Seasons significantly affected the quality traits of flesh. The protein content ranged from 19.39% in winter to 19.67% in summer, without significant differences. Lipid content was notably higher in spring (2.28%) and summer (2.32%), compared to autumn (1.72%) and winter (1.31%). Energy content was significantly higher in spring (416.45 kJ/100 g) and summer (417.97 kJ/100 g) compared to autumn (391.35 kJ/100 g) and winter (372.79 kJ/100 g). Saturated fatty acid content was highest in spring (35.88%), whereas monounsaturated acid content was not influenced by season. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content exceeded 37% of total fatty acid content during summer. The n-6/n-3 ratio remained favourably low across all seasons (from 0.16 to 0.18), with a slight significant increase in autumn (0.31). In conclusion, this study indicates that the flesh of tub gurnard has high nutritional value year-round, with the best results (in terms of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) being obtained in summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of administration of krill meal and synthetic astaxanthin during the finisher phase of the fattening cycle of rainbow trout on flesh pigmentation and quality traits were studied. The inclusion of krill meal increased the body weight and size and decreased the peri-visceral fat and visceral weight indices. The astaxanthin diet produced the highest accumulation of total carotenoids in the fillet compared to the krill meal diet: the difference was significant after 15 days of feeding (2.50 vs 2.10 mg/kg) till the end of the trial (5.00 vs 4.80 mg/kg). The same pattern was observed for astaxanthin concentration with the highest values in the fillets of fish fed the astaxanthin diet. Fillet lightness (L*) was not affected by trout diets whereas redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) were significantly higher in fish fed the astaxanthin diet until day 30 of the trial. Hue was not affected by feeding, whereas chroma was significantly higher in the fish fed astaxanthin throughout the trial except on day 45 of sampling. Trout fed the krill meal diet had a paler pink-red colour on the SalmoFan scale than those receiving the astaxanthin diet. No significant differences emerged in proximate composition and cholesterol content of trout in the two groups. The fatty acid profile of the fillets reflected the fatty acids of the diets administered to the trout: eicosapentaenoic, docosa-hexaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids and total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were significantly higher in the fish fed the krill meal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]