Modification of fillet composition and evidence of differential fatty acid turnover in sunshine bass Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis following change in dietary lipid source

Marine oil‐based finishing diets have been used to restore fillet FA profile in several “medium‐fat” fleshed aquaculture species, and a simple dilution model describing FA turnover has been established to predict and tailor final fillet composition. We evaluated finishing diet efficacy and suitability of the dilution model to describe patterns of FA change in a lean‐fleshed model, sunshine bass. Two practical diet (45% crude protein, 15% crude lipid) were formulated, respectively containing corn oil (CO) or menhaden oil (MO) as the primary lipid sources. Sunshine bass (age 1 [⊃ 14 mo], 347 ±8.6 g, mean individual weight ±SEM) were stocked in a recirculating system and fed the diets according to different feeding regimens during the final 28 wk of the production cycle. Control groups were fed the CO or the MO feeds exclusively; whereas, the remaining treatment groups were transitioned from the CO diet to the MO diet at 4−, 8−, or 12‐wk intervals. Upon completion of the feeding trial, fish were harvested, and production performance and fillet composition were assessed. Replacing MO with CO as the primary lipid source in sunshine bass diets yielded fillets with distinctly different FA profiles; however, finishing with a MO‐based diet offered significant compensation for CO‐associated reductions in fillet long‐chain highly unsaturated FA (LC‐HUFA). Although complete restoration was not observed, we achieved significant augmentation of endogenous n−3 FA within 4 wk of feeding the MO diet, and observed a significant increase in LC‐HUFA and a beneficial shift in n−3∶n−6 FA ratio after 8 weeks. Simple dilution accurately predicted tissue composition for most FA; however, deviations from the model were noted, suggesting selective retention of n−3, PUFA, and LC‐HUFA and preferential catabolism of saturates. We conclude marine oil‐based finishing diets can rapidly augment beneficial FA levels in sunshine bass fillets; however, simple dilution models do not fully describe selective FA metabolism observed for this lean‐fleshed fish.