Meat quality assessment of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) reared in inland saline water

The study was conducted to assess the meat quality of inland saline water reared common carp (ISWCC) with those compared with freshwater reared common carp (FWCC). Among the proximate parameters, protein, fat and ash contents showed significant differences (p<0.05) while the moisture content was non-significant (p>0.05). Potassium was the dominant mineral in both ISWCC (841 mg 100 g-1) and FWCC (1114 mg 100 g-1). Sodium was found higher in ISWCC (245 mg 100 g-1) than in FWCC (137 mg 100 g-1). The major amino acids in ISWCC were glycine, alanine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid. Whereas glycine, lysine, alanine and histidine were the abundant amino acids recorded in FWCC. The polyunsaturated fatty acid content of ISWCC was 22.29% and FWCC was 34.55%. Therefore, it can be concluded that though there are slight variations recorded in the biochemical composition and nutrient profiling of ISWCC as compared with FWCC, taste and overall meat quality are not affected due to rearing in inland saline water (ISW) since most of the essential amino acids and fatty acids were recorded in ISWCC meat. Keywords: Common carp, Inland saline water, Meat quality, Nutrient profile