Scallion White and Ginger Extracts Alleviate Stress-Induced Muscle Quality Deterioration in Crucian Carp During Transportation

This study evaluated the effects of scallion white and ginger extracts on stress indicators, gene expression, tissue structure, and muscle quality in crucian carp during transportation. Compared with the control group, ginger extract effectively alleviated long-term transportation stress (48 h), as evidenced by lower levels of glucose and lactate dehydrogenase activity, along with reduced pathological damage in gill, liver, and muscle tissues. Consequently, muscle quality parameters including shear force, glycogen content, and inosine monophosphate levels were notably improved. These improvements were associated with the suppression of heat shock responses, inflammation, and apoptosis, supported by the downregulation of hsp70, il-6, caspase 3, caspase 8 and bax gene expression. Similar trends were observed in the scallion white extract group, though its anti-stress effects and muscle quality enhancement were comparatively weaker. The findings suggest that natural extracts offer a promising approach to mitigating stress and improving muscle quality during live fish transportation.