Genetic variability in European populations of Coregonus lavaretus (L.): an assessment based on mitochondrial ND-1 gene haplotypes

Abstract. The genetic variability of whitefish, Coregonus lavaretus (L.), was studied based on 114 individuals from nine populations inhabiting Polish lakes, including the Szczecin Lagoon, and from one population each from lakes in Austria and Switzerland. Differences within and among populations were assessed with mitochondrial ND-1 gene sequences that were PCR amplified and digested with ten restriction enzymes. The ten composite haplotypes obtained were sequenced and analyzed with MEGA4 software. The highest intrapopulation variability was noted in the whitefish populations inhabiting lakes Iñsko, Miedwie, Marianowo, Wisola, OEremskie, Morzycko, the Szczecin Lagoon, and Lake Lucerne, which possessed from two to five composite haplotypes. In contrast, populations inhabiting lakes Wooewin, Czarne, and Traunsee were fixed for the most common haplotype H2

In vitro bioaccessibility of macro and trace elements in biofortified and conventional farmed gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Biofortification is a promising strategy to improve the nutrient profile of farmed fish but requires consideration of the nutrient bioaccessible fraction. In this study, the in vitro bioaccessibility of macro and trace elements was investigated in biofortified and conventional farmed gilthead seabream and common carp, also taking into account the effect of cooking (by steaming). Biofortification enhanced iodine and selenium levels in seabream and carp fillets. Steaming increased iodine and selenium contents in biofortified seabream, and increased selenium and decreased copper levels in biofortified carp. Higher iodine bioaccessibilty (> 80%) was observed in biofortified seabream compared to biofortified carp (45%). In both species, selenium, iron, and zinc bioaccessibility was ≥ 70%. Upon steaming iodine and iron bioaccessibility decreased in seabream, while selenium bioaccessibility decreased in carp. The consumption of steamed biofortified seabream and carp contributes to significantly higher daily intakes of iodine (up to 12% and 10%, respectively) and selenium (up to 54% and above 100%, respectively) compared to conventional counterparts. The present study demonstrates the potential of developing innovative biofortified farmed fish using natural sustainable feed ingredients to improve the intake of important nutrients for human health.Highlights: - Iodine bioaccessibility is 80% in seabream and lower than 50% in carp. - Selenium, iron and zinc bioaccessibility were always above 70%. - Overall, bioaccessibility decreased after steaming (e.g., K: lower than 50%). - The availability of I and Se for absorption following the digestive process was higher in biofortified fillets.This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement no. 773400 (SEAFOODTOMORROW).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Semi-industrial development of nutritious and healthy seafood dishes from sustainable species

This study aimed to devise innovative, tailor-made, appealing, tasty and semi-industrialized dishes, using sustainable and under-utilized seafood species (bib, common dab, common carp, blue mussel and blue whiting), that can meet the specific nutritional and functional needs of children (8-10-years), pregnant women (20-40-years) and seniors (≥60-years). Hence, contests were organised among cooking schools from 6 European countries and the best recipes/dishes were reformulated, semi-industrially produced and chemically and microbiologically evaluated. The dishes intended for: (i) children and pregnant women had EPA + DHA and I levels that reached the target quantities, supporting the claim as "high in I"; and (ii) seniors were "high in protein" (24.8%-Soup_S and 34.0%-Balls_S of the energy was provided by proteins), "high in vitamin B12", and had Na contents (≤0.4%) below the defined limit. All dishes reached the vitamin D target value. Sausages_C, Roulade_P, Fillet_P and Balls_S had a well-balanced protein/fat ratio. Roulade_P presented the highest n-3 PUFA/n-6 PUFA ratio (3.3), while Sausages_C the lowest SFA/UNS ratio (0.2). Dishes were considered safe based on different parameters (e.g. Hg-T, PBDEs, Escherichia coli). All represent dietary sources contributing to meet the reference intakes of target nutrients (33->100%), providing valuable options to overcome nutritional and functional imbalances of the three groups.This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement no. 773400 (SEAFOODTOMORROW). This work was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project CEX 2018-000794-S), the Generalitat de Catalunya (Consolidated Research Group Water and Soil Quality Unit 2017 SGR 1404) and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES) through national funds (UID/QUI/50006/2019, UIDB/50006/2020, UIDP/50006/2020, UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020). The authors also thank FCT and the European Union's H2020 Research and Innovation Programme for funding through the project Systemic - An integrated approach to the challenge of sustainable food systems: adaptive and mitigatory strategies to address climate change and malnutrition. Sara Cunha also acknowledges FCT for the IF/01616/2015 contract. Biotage is acknowledged for providing SPE cartridges and Bekolut for the QuEChERS kits. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.Peer reviewe

Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus and alien sturgeon species in Polish waters: can biometric analysis assist species discrimination and restoration?

Biometric character analyses were conducted on Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus, a species included in a re-establishment programme in the Baltic Sea basin. The study sought to identify measurable and countable characters most useful for distinguishing A. oxyrinchus from three alien species found in open waters of Poland: Acipenser baerii, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, and Acipenser stellatus. Measurable characters that contributed most to discrimination included preorbital distance, eye diameter, ventral fin base to anal fin base, and postorbital distance. Among countable characters, the number of lateral scutes made the greatest contribution. The data from the present study may be used to supplement existing systematic keys and lay the foundations for creating a catalogue or atlas of popular species and interspecific hybrids of sturgeon, including their complete systematic determination.W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono wyniki analizy cech biometrycznych osobników jesiotra ostronosego Acipenser oxyrhinchus oxyrhinchus, gatunku objętego restytucją w basenie Morza Bałtyckiego. Przy wykorzystaniu technik aglomeracyjnych podjęto próbę wyjaśnienia, które z cech mierzalnych i policzalnych mają największą przydatność przy odróżnianiu A. o. oxyrhinchus od trzech gatunków obcych, łowionych w wodach otwartych Polski, tj. jesiotra syberyjskiego (Acipenser baerii), rosyjskiego (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) oraz siewrugi (Acipenser stellatus). Wyniki analiz wykazały, iż największy udział w dyskryminacji na podstawie cech mierzalnych miały długość rostrum (R), odległość między płetwami V i A (VA) oraz przestrzeń zaoczna (OP). Natomiast wśród cech policzalnych była to liczba tarczek bocznych (SL). Wyniki uzyskane w niniejszej pracy wzbogacają aktualnie stosowane klucze do identyfikacji gatunków jesiotrów oraz mogą stanowić podstawę do opracowania katalogu bądź atlasu powszechnie występujących jesiotrowatych jak i ich hybryd międzygatunkowych

First occurrence of thinlip grey mullet, Liza ramada (Risso, 1827) in the Odra River estuary (NW Poland): genetic identification

The presence of exotic fish species in the Baltic Sea and its tributaries poses a serious threat for native ichthyofauna, mainly due to the spread of new pathogens. As the accurate identification of species is essential for an effective assessment of changes related to the appearance of non-native species in an aquatic environment, in this paper we tested the usefulness of biometrics and molecular markers in identifying a specimen from the Mugilidae family found in the Odra estuary. The results demonstrated that unambiguous identification of the specimen using biometric features was impossible due to high morphological similarities shared by grey mullets. Unambiguous identification was possible only due to molecular markers, e.g. rhodopsin gene, which helped to identify the collected fish specimen as Liza ramada (Risso, 1827), the first specimen of this species found in the Odra River estuary. The presence of an L. ramada specimen in the Odra River – which could signal the expansion of non-native species into wider ranges – may be linked to climate change or human activity

Key Performance Indicators of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) Wintering in a Pond and RAS under Different Feeding Schemes

Overwintering impacts common carp performance, yet the nature of changes is not known. The aim of the study was to compare the zootechnical and key performance indicators (KPI) of Cyprinus carpio wintering in a pond with no supplementary feeding (MCF), in a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) fed typical (30% of protein and 8% of fat) carp diet (AFC), and in a RAS fed high protein (42%) and fat (12%) diet (ABF). The analysis showed that ABF fish had the highest final body weight and the Fulton’s condition factor, as well as the lowest food conversion rate compared with AFC and MCF fish. Histomorphological assessment revealed that MCF fish had thinner skin layers, a depleted population of mucous cells in skin, an excessive interlamellar mass in the gills, and no supranuclear vacuoles in the intestine compared to fish from RAS. At the molecular level, higher transcript levels of il-1β and il-6 transcripts were found in the gills of MCF than in fish from RAS. The transcript level of the intestinal muc5b was the highest in ABF fish. Relative expression of il-1β and il-6 in gills were presumably the highest due to lamellar fusions in MCF fish. Described KPIs may assist carp production to ensure sustainability and food security in the European Union

Molecular study of Prussian carp – an invasive species in the lakes of the Leszno Lakeland

Invasions of alien species are a serious problem worldwide. In Poland, among of 30 alien species recorded in aquatic environment Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) draw increasing attention due to its exceptionally successful colonization. Therefore the aim of the work was to perform study on Prussian carp populations, including genetic testing, which may answer questions regarding the degree of variation and the reasons for success in new locations. The material for the study consisted of fin clips from 120 specimens of the species Prussian carp collected from five lakes in the Leszno Lakeland. Genetic variation within and between groups was analysed based on sequence analysis of control region (D-loop, mtDNA). Genetic analyses revealed variability in sequence length (Indel 353A), where in the group of sequences from Lakes Wonieść and Łoniewskie there was one sequence variant, with 555 base pairs, but from Lakes Osłonińsko-Górskie, Dominickie and Wielkie, consisted of variants of 554 (30%)and 555 (70%) base pairs. Presented work indicate that presence and spread of alien species may be used as an indicator of worsening environmental conditions, therefore analysed areas should be given special attention in the process of restoration to their original state.Inwazje gatunków obcych są ważnym problemem globalnym. Przykładowo oprócz 30 obcych gatunków ryb odnotowanych w polskich wodach, szczególną uwagę przyciąga karaś srebrzysty (Carassius gibelio) w związku z jego wyjątkowo ekspansywną strategią rozprzestrzeniania. Z tego też powodu celem niniejszego artykułu jest analiza populacji karasia srebrzystego, w tym testów genetycznych, które mogą udzielić odpowiedzi na pytanie o stopniu zróżnicowania i przyczynach sukcesu obserwowanych w kolejnych lokalizacjach. Materiał do badań stanowiły skrawki płetw 120 osobników karasia srebrzystego, które odłowiono w latach 2009i 2010 z pięciu jezior należących do obszaru Pojezierza Leszczyńskiego. Analizy genetyczne w obrębie jak i pomiędzy grupami przeprowadzono na podstawie amplifikacji oraz analizy odczytanej sekwencji regionu kontrolnego (D-loop, mtDNA). Analiza uzyskanych sekwencji ujawniła, że różnią się one długością (Indel 353A). W grupie sekwencji z jezior Wonieść oraz Łoniewskie występował jedynie jeden wariant sekwencji, 555 par zasad. Pozostałe sekwencje uzyskane na bazie prób pozyskanych z jezior Osłonińsko-Górskie, Dominickie oraz Wielkie składały się z wariantów o długości 554 (30%) i 555 (70%) par zasad. Wyniki badań dowodzą, że obecność oraz rozprzestrzenianie się obcych gatunków może wskazywać na pogarszający się stan środowiska wodnego, dlatego rozpatrywane akweny należy traktować indywidualnie podczas prób przywracania ich do stanu pierwotnego

Detection of white sturgeon iridovirus (WSIV) in wild sturgeons (Actinopterygii: Acipenseriformes: Acipenseridae) in Poland

White sturgeon iridovirus (WSIV) disease is caused by a virus of the eponymous family and is mostly triggered by stressful environmental conditions, i.e. high rearing density, excessive handling, or temporary loss of water. The aim of this study was to develop the most effective diagnostic method for quick and efficient confirmation or exclusion of the presence of WSIV

Spiny-Cheek Crayfish, Faxonius limosus (Rafinesque, 1817), as an Alternative Food Source

The aim of the study was to present a comprehensive characterisation of crayfish meat, which is crucial to assess its potential usefulness in the food industry. To this end, we assessed the yield, basic chemical composition (protein, fat, minerals), nutritional value (amino acid and fatty acid profiles, essential amino acid index (EAAI), chemical score of essential amino acids (CS), hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic ratio (h/H), atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (TI) indices), as well as culinary value (lab colour, texture, sensory characteristics, structure) of the meat of spiny-cheek crayfish (Faxonius limosus) (n = 226) from Lake Sominko (Poland) harvested in May–September 2017. Crayfish meat, especially that from the abdomen, was shown to have high nutritional parameters. It is lean (0.26% of fat), with a favourable fatty acid profile and a very high quality of fat (PUFA (sum of polyunsaturated fatty acids):SFA (sum of saturated fatty acids), n-6/n-3, h/H, AI, TI) and protein (high CS and EAAI). It is also a better source of Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, and Cu than meat from slaughter animals. Hence, crayfish meat can be an alternative to livestock meat in the human diet. Owing to its culinary value (delicateness, weak game flavour, and odour), it meets the requirements of the most demanding consumers, i.e., children and older people