Nutrient content in the muscle and skin of fillets from farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The nutrient content in the muscle and edible skin parts of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets, sampled at two growth stages, was evaluated. The average concentrations of protein and essential amino acids were higher in the muscle than in the skin. The chemical scores reached a value of 1.0 for the amino acids in the muscle and ranged from 0.40 (tryptophan) to 0.94 (threonine) in the skin. The average lipid content and the saturated fatty acids/polyunsaturated fatty acids and n-6/n-3 ratios were higher in the skin than in the muscle, whereas the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6 n-3) was higher in the muscle. Significant differences were found for the essential minerals analysed, except for Cu. The concentrations of Na, K and Mg were higher and those of Ca, P, Fe, Mn and Zn were lower in the muscle than in the skin. Significant effects of the fish growth on the composition were detected.