The nutritional values of common carp and its chemical composition resulted from thermal climatic changes

Background and Objective: In Egypt, the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is an important aquaculture species. The fatty acid composition, as well as the levels of lipids and proteins, can be influenced by seasonal and geographic variations. To determine the impact of geographical location and climatic variations on the nutritional value of common carp fish meat, this study aims to investigate the chemical composition, vitamin content, fatty acid profile, and amino acid composition in different seasons and locations. Methods: Throughout the summer and winter, 100 common carp (Cyprinus carpio) specimens were periodically collected from the Western Delta Governorates. The chemical composition of fish muscles was ascertained using AOAC methods, and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to analyse specific minerals, including trace metals like zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and selenium (Se), as well as macro-elements like sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P). Fatty acids and amino acids were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), whereas vitamins A, E, K, and B12 were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) Results: Our findings showed that the season had a significant(P<0.05) impact on the proximate chemical composition, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids of fish muscles in each of the three Governorates. In addition to minerals (calcium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and selenium), the winter season had considerably higher levels of protein, fat, moisture, ash, and cholesterol. On the other hand, the concentration of copper was higher throughout the summer. Lower levels of peroxide number and significantly higher mean levels of vitamins and fatty acids were observed throughout the winter(P<0.001). All essential and non-essential amino acids were significantly higher in winter(P<0.001), except histidine (ppm). All amino acids exhibited notable variations in the mean with the governorates' variance, except for methionine, serine, and alanine. The most frequent amino acid in common carp muscle was histidine, which was followed by leucine. Conclusion: To design the best conditions for developing the post-harvest value chain and increasing the consumer acceptability of this fish species, the current study offers important information on the impact of location and seasonal variation on the nutritional value and chemical composition of common carp fish muscles.