Flesh qualitative traits of tub gurnard ( Chelidonichthys lucerna L.), a promising species candidate for aquaculture, captured in the middle Adriatic Sea in different seasons

The quality traits of the fillets from tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna L.) fished in the mid-Adriatic Sea were investigated. Forty fishes per season were sampled to evaluate the proximate composition, cholesterol content and fatty acid profile of fillets. Seasons signifi- cantly affected the quality traits of flesh. The protein content ranged from 19.39% in winter to 19.67% in summer, without significant dif- ferences. Lipid content was notably higher in spring (2.28%) and summer (2.32%), com- pared to autumn (1.72%) and winter (1.31%). Energy content was significantly higher in spring (416.45 kJ/100 g) and summer (417.97 kJ/100 g) compared to autumn (391.35 kJ/100 g) and winter (372.79 kJ/100 g). Saturated fatty acid content was highest in spring (35.88%), whereas monounsaturated acid con- tent was not influenced by season. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content exceeded 37% of total fatty acid content during summer. The n-6/n-3 ratio remained favourably low across all seasons (from 0.16 to 0.18), with a slight significant increase in autumn (0.31). In conclusion, this study indicates that the flesh of tub gurnard has high nutritional value year-round, with the best results (in terms of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) being obtained in summer.