Proximate Composition of Canadian Atlantic Fish. III. Sectional Differences in the Flesh of a Species of Chondrostei, one of Chimaerae, and of Some Miscellaneous Teleosts

Abstract

Proximate analyses of sections of the flesh of several teleosts and also of a sturgeon and a chimaera are reported. Among the teleosts the proximate composition of the white meat is very similar, with the exception of the fat, which varies from 0.7% in the lean species such as haddock to 12% in the spiny eel. Protein (protein N × 6.25) ranges from 14.8 to 16.2% for most species, but is lower in the sturgeon and chimaera, while the previously reported values for mackerel, tuna and halibut are higher. The belly flap tissue is only slightly more fatty than the white meat in haddock and the white sucker, in contrast to the high values for halibut and mackerel. The brown lateral layer contains about 2% lipid in haddock and wolffish with much higher values in other species; its non-protein N content is similar to that of the white meat for the most part. Although present only in traces in some species, the brown lateral layer makes up about 8% of the flesh of the tail section of the haddock, but only 1% of the middle section.