Nutritional characterization of Trachurus lathami discarded by the Argentine fishing industry: first step towards the sustainable valorization of the species

Abstract

In the Argentine Continental Shelf pelagic fisheries, rough scad (Trachurus lathami) is incidentally caught, being discarded by the commercial fleet despite its high abundances. With the aim of promoting the sustainable use of this species, the nutritional characterization of T. lathami is reported here for the first time. High protein (16%) and lipid (5.4%) content in whole individuals indicated that this is a moderately fat species. In the edible portion, within total lipids (4.8%), the n-3 polyunsaturated fraction was represented by docosahexaenoic (16.8%) and eicosapentaenoic (5.6%) acids. Results encourage potential strategies towards the developing of restructured products for human consumption.