Quality Characteristics of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the Fish Landing Centre at Cochin, India

Abstract

Yellowfin tuna being one of the commercially important fish species, the quality characteristics were investigated. Yellowfin tuna muscle had 23.18% crude protein and 1.52% crude fat. Tuna protein was well balanced with amino acids and the percentage ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids was 48.2. Tuna meat was rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Saturated fatty acid (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents of raw tuna were 31.19, 8.23 and 58.79%, respectively. n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio was 6.78, showing that yellowfin tuna meat is rich in n-3 PUFA. The other quality parameters like total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN) and trimethyl amine (TMA) were well within acceptable limits. Primary and secondary lipid oxidation products were also studied. The surface colour parameters and texture of yellowfin tuna meat showed that the samples used in the present study were of good quality