Quality Evaluation of Crisp Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus C. ET V) Based on Instrumental Texture Analysis and Cluster Analysis

Review of formation mechanisms and quality regulation of chewiness in staple foods: Rice, noodles, potatoes and bread

Staple foods serve as vital nutrient sources for the human body, and chewiness is an essential aspect of food texture. Age, specific preferences, and diminished eating functions have broadened the chewiness requirements for staple foods. Therefore, comprehending the formation mechanism of chewiness in staple foods and exploring approaches to modulate it becomes imperative. This article reviewed the formation mechanisms and quality control methods for chewiness in several of the most common staple foods (rice, noodles, potatoes and bread). It initially summarized the chewiness formation mechanisms under three distinct thermal processing methods: water medium, oil medium, and air medium processing. Subsequently, proposed some effective approaches for regulating chewiness based on mechanistic changes. Optimizing raw material composition, controlling processing conditions, and adopting innovative processing techniques can be utilized. Nonetheless, the precise adjustment of staple foods' chewiness remains a challenge due to their diversity and technical study limitations. Hence, further in-depth exploration of chewiness across different staple foods is warranted.

Effect of faba bean Vicia faba L. water/alcohol extract on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, textural properties, and collagen deposition in the swim bladder of juvenile Nibea coibor

Faba bean has gained attention as a cost-effective protein source with the potential to enhance product quality (texture properties, collagen content, etc.) in fish. However, its anti-nutrition factor, high feed conversion ratio, poor growth performance, etc. limit the widely application as a dietary source, especially in carnivorous fish. The water or alcohol extract of faba bean might resolve the problem. In this study, the juvenile Nibea coibor, known for their high-protein, large-sized, and high-grade swim bladder, were fed with seven isoproteic and isolipid experimental diets with the additive of faba bean water extract (1.25%, 2.5%, and 5%) or faba bean alcohol extract (0.9%, 1.8%, and 3.6%), with a control group without faba bean extract. After the 10-week feeding trail, the growth, antioxidant capacity, textural properties, and collagen deposition of the swim bladder were analyzed. Results showed that the 1.25% faba bean water extract group could significantly promote growth, textural quality of the swim bladder, and have beneficial effects on antioxidant response of fish. Conversely, dietary supplementation of faba bean alcohol extract resulted in reduced growth performance in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, fish fed diet with 1.25% faba bean water extract exhibited increased collagen content and upregulated collagen-related gene expression in the swim bladder, which was consistent with the Masson stain analysis for collagen fiber. Our results suggested that the anti-nutrient factor and bioactive component of faba bean may mainly be enriched in alcohol extract and water extract of faba bean, respectively. Besides, the appropriate addition of water extract of faba bean may improve the texture quality of the swim bladder by promoting collagen deposition. This study would provide a theoretical basis for the formulated diets with faba bean extract to promote product quality of marine fish.

Combined effects of dietary faba bean water extract and vitamin K3 on growth performance, textural quality, intestinal characteristics, oxidative and immune responses in grass carp

Faba bean water extract (FBW) and vitamin K3 (VK3) have been demonstrated to improve the muscle textural quality of fish. To better apply these two feed additives in commercial aquaculture setting, four experimental diets (control, commercial feed group; 15% FBW, 15% faba bean water extract group; 2.5% VK3, 2.5% vitamin K3 group; combined group, 15% faba bean water extract + 2.5% vitamin K3 group) were formulated to explore their combined effects of FBW and VK3 on the growth, health status, and muscle textural quality of grass carp. The growth performance, textural quality, intestinal characteristics, and oxidative and immune responses were analyzed on days 40, 80 and 120. The results showed that supplementation with higher doses of FBW and VK3 have no influence on growth-related parameters and immune parameters of grass carp. Notably, compared with the control, fish in the combined group had the highest textural qualities (hardness, chewiness and adhesiveness), followed by those in 15% FBW and 2.5% VK3 groups (P < 0.05). Also, FBW and VK3, to some extent, may lower antioxidative ability of grass carp, as illustrated by lower levels of GSH and CAT in 15% FBW, 2.5% VK3, and combined groups on day 120 (P < 0.05). In addition, enhanced lipase activity was observed in the 15% FBW group. Taken together, the combined supplementation of FBW and VK3 was demonstrated to be a more advanced option than their individual supplementation in a commercial setting owing to the resulting combined effects on both the textural quality and health status of grass carp.

Improvement of muscle quality in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with dietary faba bean (Vicia faba L.)

Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a freshwater fish which is farmed worldwide. Improving the muscle quality of fish has become a major goal while maintaining a sustainable aquaculture system. This research attempts to assess the effect of 0% (FB0), 40%(FB40), 50%(FB50), 60%(FB60) and 70% (FB70) faba bean on the texture parameter, histological analysis, proximate, amino acids, and fatty acids composition in tilapia fed 90 days. The results showed that hardness, chewiness, and shear force of tilapia muscle fed FB60, and FB70 were considerably more in comparison to fish fed FB0 at 90 days (p &lt; 0.05). Tilapia fed faba beans had higher muscle fiber density, wider spaces between muscle fibers and smaller fiber diameter, with the greatest difference in tilapia fed FB60. The total protein content in tilapia fed FB40 was considerably more in comparison to in fish fed FB70 (p &lt; 0.05), where the total protein content in muscle first increased and then reduced with increasing dietary faba bean level. The muscle ∑TAA, ∑EAA, valine, tyrosine, cysteine, aspartic acid, methionine, isoleucine, glutamic acid, leucine, arginine, and serine, contents in tilapia fed FB60 were much more in contrast to in fish fed FB0 (p &lt; 0.05), which initially increased and then reduced with increasing dietary faba bean level. The muscle ∑PUFA content in tilapia fed dietary faba beans was greater compared with fish fed FB0, whereas the ∑SFA contents in tilapia fed FB50 and FB60 were lower in contrast to in fish fed FB0. In summary, dietary faba beans can improve muscle texture, muscle fibers, amino acids content and fatty acids content in tilapia. The research’s results make a contribution to the improved knowledge of the association among muscle quality in tilapia and dietary faba beans.

Replacing Fish Meal with Hydrolyzed Collagen Derived from Fish By-Products Improved Muscle Quality and Glycolipid Metabolism of Triploid Crucian Carp

Fish by-products are rich in collagen. Hydrolyzed collagen derived from fish by-products was used to replace fish meal to evaluate the effects on muscle quality and glycolipid metabolism of juvenile triploid crucian carp. A total of 240 juvenile fish with body weight of 10.01 ± 0.02 g were divided into four groups and fed four diets for 66 days: fish meal (FM) replaced with hydrolyzed collagen (HC) in 0% (Control), 2% (2% HC), 4% (4% HC), and 6% (6% HC), respectively. The results were as follows: The increased proportion of fish meal replaced with hydrolyzed collagen linearly and quadratically decreased the specific growth rate (SGR) of triploid crucian carp (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the SGR and intestinal α-amylase, trypsin and lipase activities in the 4% and 6% HC groups significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between the control and 2% HC groups (p > 0.05). Total umami amino acids content, chewiness and myofiber density of muscle in the 4% and 6% HC groups, as well as the essential fatty acids content in all HC groups increased significantly (p < 0.05). All HC groups significantly increased the serum glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and decreased the serum malondialdehyde (MDA) content (p < 0.05). When the replacement amount reached 4%, the serum glucose and liver glycogen content, the liver and serum triglyceride (TG) content, and serum total cholesterol (T-CHO) content were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). In addition, the expression levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) of the liver in all HC groups and lipolysis-related genes (lipoprotein lipase (LPL), carnitine O-palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT 1) and hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase (HADH)) of the liver in the 6% of HC group increased significantly (p < 0.05), and the expression levels of lipogenesis-related genes (fatty acid synthase (FAS) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP 1)) of the liver in the 4% HC and 6% HC groups decreased significantly (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the replacement of 2% fish meal with hydrolyzed collagen had no negative effects on the growth of triploid crucian carp, while the replacement of 4% fish meal with hydrolyzed collagen decreased SGR, but improved the muscle quality and decreased glycolipid levels. The maximum proportion of hydrolyzed collagen replacing fish meal should not exceed 4%.

Textural quality, growth parameters and oxidative responses in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed faba bean water extract diet

Texture is one of the key quality attributes used in the fresh and processed fish industry to assess product quality and consumer acceptability. To improve the textural quality of tilapia, we formulated the expanded pellet diet (EPD) and pellet diet (PD), both containing faba bean (Vicia faba, FB) water extract, a previously reported potential aquafeed additive to increase flesh texture. The common diet was used as a control. After Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were fed three kinds of experimental diet for 120 days, muscle textural quality, growth parameters, oxidative response and immune parameters were analyzed. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the growth parameters between the three groups (P > 0.05). The highest measure of textural quality (hardness and chewiness) was found for the PD group, followed by the EPD and the control (P < 0.05). Less oxidative damage to the hepatopancreas and intestine was found in the EPD compared with the PD group, as demonstrated by the decreased levels of reactive oxygen species and increased levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and intestinal digestive enzyme activity (amylase and lipase). Taken together, this study highlights the potential usefulness in commercial settings of FB water extract for improving the textural quality of tilapia, and EPD containing faba bean water extract could be more advanced substitute for faba bean in tilapia culture in term of both effectiveness in textural quality improvement and health status enhancement compared with PD.

Value-Added Carp Products: Multi-Class Evaluation of Crisp Grass Carp by Machine Learning-Based Analysis of Blood Indexes

Crisp grass carp products from China are becoming more prevalent in the worldwide fish market because muscle hardness is the primary desirable characteristic for consumer satisfaction of fish fillet products. Unfortunately, current instrumental methods to evaluate muscle hardness are expensive, time-consuming, and wasteful. This study sought to develop classification models for differentiating the muscle hardness of crisp grass carp on the basis of blood analysis. Out of the total 264 grass carp samples, 12 outliers from crisp grass carp group were removed based on muscle hardness (<9 N), and the remaining 252 samples were used for the analysis of seven blood indexes including hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH/GSSH), red blood cells (RBC), platelet count (PLT), and lymphocytes (LY). Furthermore, six machine learning models were applied to predict the muscle hardness of grass carp based on the training (152) and testing (100) datasets obtained from the blood analysis: random forest (RF), naïve Bayes (NB), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), support vector machine (SVM), partial least squares regression (PLSR), and artificial neural network (ANN). The RF model exhibited the best prediction performance with a classification accuracy of 100%, specificity of 93.08%, and sensitivity of 100% for discriminating crisp grass carp muscle hardness, followed by the NB model (93.75% accuracy, 91.83% specificity, and 94% sensitivity), whereas the ANN model had the lowest prediction performance (85.42% accuracy, 81.05% specificity, and 85% sensitivity). These machine learning methods provided objective, cheap, fast, and reliable classification for in vivo crisp grass carp and also prove useful for muscle quality evaluation of other freshwater fish.

Proteomic and metabolomic basis for improved textural quality in crisp grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus C.et V) fed with a natural dietary pro-oxidant

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate metabolism and chemical composition of various tissues. To understand how ROS affect the textural quality of fish muscle, we performed a multi-omics analysis on an established crisp grass carp model fed with a natural pro-oxidant faba bean. ROS levels were systemically and significantly increased up to three-fold in crisp grass carp, improving the muscle texture. Lipid metabolism was significantly enhanced up to five-fold in muscle and liver possibly to compensate the impaired carbohydrate metabolism of these tissues, but this caused further local ROS production. Mitochondrial damage associated with autophagy was evident in crisp grass carp. Proteomics revealed that elevated ROS likely disturbed the actin-myosin interaction and collagen turnover inducing fragmentation of myofibrillar proteins, all of which could have positively impacted the textural quality. The systemic metabolic changes that lead to the partial collapse of redox regulation likely underlie the ROS-induced improvement of textural quality.

Feeding Faba Beans (Vicia faba L.) Reduces Myocyte Metabolic Activity in Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus)

In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) on the energy metabolism of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus). A total of 180 fish (∼2900 g) were randomly assigned to six tanks (2.5 × 2.5 × 1.2 m; 30 individuals per tank) and fed either faba bean (Vicia faba L.) or a commercial diet for 120 days (3% body weight, twice per day). The results showed that faba bean-fed grass carp (FBFG) had significantly lower growth and higher fat accumulation in the mesenteric adipose tissue and hepatopancreas than commercial diet-fed grass carp (CDFG). Compared with CDFG, FBFG exhibited no significant difference in proximate composition of the muscle; however, an obvious decrease in muscle fiber size and significantly higher hardness, chewiness, and gumminess were observed. Transcriptome results showed that a total of 197 genes were differentially regulated in the dorsal muscle. Down-regulated genes included four genes annotated with myocyte development and 12 transcripts annotated with components of myofibrils. In addition, the FBFG group exhibited significantly lower expression of genes associated with oxygen transport, the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and creatine metabolism, suggesting reduced energy availability in the muscle of the FBFG. Moreover, using western-blotting and enzyme assays, we found decreased protein levels in the mitochondrial electron transport respiratory chain and creatine metabolism activities, as well as increased expression of autophagy marker protein levels, in the muscle of FBFG. Overall, our results suggest that an abnormal energy distribution may exist in grass carps after feeding with faba bean, which is reflected by a mass of fat deposition in the adipose tissue and hepatopancreas and subdued metabolic activity in the muscle.

Lipid accumulation in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) fed faba beans (Vicia faba L.)

Feeding faba beans (Vicia faba L.) to grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) increases muscle compactness but decreases growth and motility. The lipid metabolism of grass carp was examined to assess potential effects of feeding faba beans on physiological properties using a total of 180 fish. The treatment group was fed faba beans for 120 days and a commercial diet for another 30 days. The control group received a commercial diet for 150 days. Fish were sampled every month. Weight gain was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control. Hardness, springiness, chewiness, cohesiveness, and gumminess of the dorsal muscle increased significantly with the feeding faba beans from 30 to 120 days, which was not reversed by the subsequent feeding of commercial diet. Fat accumulation increased significantly in the treatment group as suggested by the condition factor, viscera index, hepatopancreatic index, and intraperitoneal fat index (IPFI), hepatopancreas, and muscle fat content but was not affected by subsequent feeding with the commercial diet. Serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were significantly reduced in the experimental diet group. In the hepatopancreas and intraperitoneal fat IPF, monounsaturated fatty acids showed significantly higher content in faba bean feeding fish, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acid content showed the reversed pattern. In the hepatopancreas, the activities of the lipogenic enzymes malate dehydrogenase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase were higher in the treatment than in the control group. Moreover, the treatment group showed lower mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1. Overall, our results clearly demonstrate increasing lipid accumulation in the viscera of faba bean-fed grass carp.