Changes in Proximate and Fatty Acid Composition of Fillets from Channel Catfish during a Two-Year Growth Period

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Abstract
Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were reared for 2 years on practical feeds with and without a topdressing of oil (50% animal, 50% vegetable). Visceral fat, fillet fat, and whole-body protein increased and moisture percentage decreased as fish size and age increased. Slopes of regression lines for these variables differed significantly between treatments. Fatty acid profiles of fillets showed essentially linear trends toward decreasing saturation and increasing unsaturation with increasing size and age of fish. Within the unsaturated fatty acids, monene levels increased, and diene and triene levels decreased. Topdressing with oil did not affect these trends. Although dietary lipid composition is a major influence on fatty acid composition in channel catfish, this study indicates that fish size and age also significantly influence fatty acid profiles.