Nutritional value of clariid catfish in the conditions of aquaculture in Ukraine

The nutritional value of raw materials is determined by a set of indicators that define the biological value of protein, lipids, mineral composition, and safety. Therefore, their investigation in the meat of one of Ukraine's aquaculture species – the clariid catfish – is relevant. The purpose of the study was to investigate the biological value of protein, lipids, mineral composition, and safety of catfish meat when grown in Ukraine and evaluate these indicators in accordance with the recommendations of FAO/WHO. The amino acid composition of the protein was determined by ion exchange liquid-column chromatography on an automatic analyser T 339 (Czech Republic); the fatty acid composition of lipids was determined on a gas chromatograph HRGC 5300 (“Carlo Erba”, Italy). The mineral composition of meat was investigated by atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma; the content of heavy metals was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The study of the amino acid composition of the protein established the presence of all essential amino acids in an amount significantly exceeded in the ideal protein in accordance with FAO/WHO recommendations, which indicates a high biological value. The fatty acid composition of lipids is typical for freshwater fish and catfish lipids from other aquacultures. The biological value of catfish lipids is determined by the ratio of fatty acids of the ω-6/ω-3 families as 1.8:1.0 at the recommended value of 10:5, which indicates the possibility of using lipids of this fish as a source of especially deficient ω-3 fatty acids in the human diet. The low level of polyunsaturated fatty acids and the absence of essential fatty acids eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids gives the basis for developing the design of biologically valuable catfish meat products by enriching it with lipids from marine aquatic organisms. The practical significance of the findings is to obtain original data on the nutritional value of meat from one of the aquaculture species in Ukraine, determine the degree of satisfaction of the daily human need for its consumption, and develop recommendations for rational use