Technological and biochemical properties of fish fillets and minced meats from hybrids of african catfish for the production of food fish products

Currently, there is clear interest in expanding the range of fish products by introducing new types of freshwater fish raw materials into mass production, particularly the African sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus. The popularity of this fish in global aquaculture is due to its low production costs, high growth rate, and tolerance to many environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the technological, chemical, rheological, and biological properties of fillets and minced meat from hybrid African catfish and their parental groups raised in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The results show that first-generation sharptooth catfish hybrids (Mikhailovskaya × Tamanskaya) reached a minimum weight of 1,450 g within 8 months of rearing. Hybrid specimens were found to outperform their parental forms in a number of morphometric parameters, including absolute and commercial length, head length, and body length. Hybrid catfish demonstrated improved processing properties: a carcass yield of 51% (800 g) and skin-on fillet yield of 32.5% (500 g). Analysis of the chemical composition of fillets and minced meats under various storage conditions revealed that the protein and fat levels in the raw fish, chilled sample, and minced meat of the hybrid group were at least 20% and 3.4%, respectively; in the Mikhailovskaya group, 18.3% and 4.0%, and in the Taman group, 18.9% and 5.0%. The study found that C. gariepinus hybrids possess improved processing characteristics, and the resulting fish products have enhanced biological properties, which holds great promise for commercial aquaculture.