Proximate Composition, Nutritional Lipid Quality, and Health Indices of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides Lacépède, 1802) from Several Mediterranean Reservoirs

ABSTRACT

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides Lacépède, 1802) is one of the most searched species in sports fishing, being culturally consumed over the last century. The aim of this study was to characterize the proximate composition and nutritional lipid quality of wild bass from the south of Portugal and compare it temporally (winter vs summer) and spatially, according to the reservoir where individuals were captured. Reservoir characteristics and season had significant effects on the proximate composition and nutritional lipid quality of this species in Mediterranean ecosystems. In largemouth bass fillet, ω3-FA family was the most representative in all reservoirs and seasons. Bass are carnivorous, with high values of C18:1ω9. Results also reveal the presence of macroalgae, microalgae and heterotrophic bacteria fatty acids origins. Lipid health indexes suggest that the flesh of wild bass provides nutritional benefits based on its lipid profile. Results contribute to value wild largemouth bass as a gastronomic item.    

KEYWORDS:

• Wild largemouth bass
• nutritional quality
• fatty acid profile
• lipid health indices
• Mediterranean reservoirs

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank their colleague, Ana Marta Almeida, for all her support in largemouth bass nutritional analyses for individuals of Póvoa e Meadas reservoir and to thank Ana Filipa Belo, Ana Filipa Silva, Carlos Pratas, Esmeralda Pereira, Filipe Banha, and João Pedro Marques for the help to catch largemouth bass. The authors also wish to thank the Municipality of Castelo de Vide and Grupo Águas de Portugal (through Águas de Santo André and Águas do Alentejo) for the authorizations to conduct fish sampling in the selected reservoirs. This study was part of the project GAMEFISH – Management of Mediterranean reservoirs for the promotion of recreational fishing activities (ALT20-03-0145-FEDER-000016), funded by the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund and ALENTEJO 2020 Regional Operational Program. Additional support was provided by the Portuguese Science Foundation through the strategy plan for MARE (Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre), via project UIDB/04292/2020, and through the individual contract attributed to Carlos M. Alexandre within the project CEECIND/02265/2018.

Credit authorship contribution statement

MJL, CMA, and PRA conceived the study. CMA and AJ participated in the fieldwork. AJ and MGM conducted the laboratorial analyses, which were coordinated by MJL and MGS. AJ, CMA, and MJL analyzed the data and developed a first draft of the manuscript. All authors participated in revising the draft of the manuscript and preparing its final version.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10498850.2021.2008080.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [CEECIND/02265/2018 and UIDB/04292/2020] and ALENTEJO 2020 Regional Operational Program [ALT20-03-0145-FEDER-000016].