Evaluation of nutritional components and quality in the muscle and cartilage of hybrid sturgeon

The contents of nutritive compositions in muscle and cartilage (skull and vertabra,respectively) of cultured hybrid sturgeon (H.dauricus ♀ x A.schrincki ♂ ) were measured with bio -chemical methods. The content of general nutrition was higher than common freshwater fishes. The essential amino acid index (EAAI) was 76.89 and the constitutional ratio of EAA met the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/ Word Health Organization(WHO) standard. The contents of unsaturated fatty acids account for 70.5% of total fatty acids. The ratio between Ca and P was 8.8,and the ratio among Cu,Zn and Fe was reasonable. Carbohydrate,crude protein contents in the dry weight of vertabra were comparable with vertabra of shark. The amino acid and fatty acid compositions were similar. Cartilage contains abundant mineral beneficial elements for human. Results showed that the muscle of hybrid sturgeon had high nutritional value. And in terms of general nutrition,cartilage compares well with cartilage of shark. Therefore,muscle and cartilage could be used as raw materials for aquatic products processing.