Quality aspects of cultured Gulf of Mexico sturgeon, Ancipenser oxyrhynchus desotoi, as a potential food commodity

Hormone-induced ovulation and spawning of Gulf sturgeon occurred in 1989 at a hatchery located on the Suwannee River in Florida. During subsequent years, the University of Florida in conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Caribbean Conservation Corporation, produced about 60,000 fry for fish culture programs. The first objective of this study was to investigate rigor mortis in Gulf sturgeon. A video capture method was developed to monitor rigor mortis in whole fish. The method was able to determine onset and resolution of rigor in Gulf sturgeon, as well as to provide insight into pattern of rigor development over time. The second objective was to determine the influence of diet type on the quality (defined as rigor, color, appearance, taste and mouthfeel, composition, and fatty acid profile) of Gulf sturgeon fillets as a food commodity. Three commercial diets with different fat contents were used during feeding trials at the Gulf sturgeon demonstration farm facility (University of Florida, Blountstown, FL). Fish were received live at the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida during the summer of 1999 (Gainesville, FL). Sensory panels to evaluate the taste and appearance, color studies over storage, proximate analysis and fatty acid composition were conducted to determine the most suitable diet. Feeding Gulf sturgeon with trout diet, containing the highest percent fat, resulted in the highest ratio of ω3/ω6 fatty acids found in sturgeons included in the study. However, trout diet imparted a yellow-orange coloration to the fish muscle, which was unappealing to consumers. Feeding Gulf sturgeon with catfish diet, containing the lowest fat content, results in a poor fatty acid profile, which is markedly different from the fatty acid profile of wild sturgeon muscle. Fillets from sturgeons fed hybrid bass diet performed well on consumer sensory panels for taste and appearance, and the fatty acid profile was similar to the profile of fillets from fish fed trout diet. Nonetheless, there was no detrimental pigmentation of the muscle due to feed. It was concluded that among the diets investigated, hybrid bass is the most suitable to feed cultured Gulf sturgeons.