Effects of Slaughter Weight on Carcass and Meat Characteristics of Punga Fish (Pangasius bocourti Sauvage)

Punga Fish (Pangasius bocourti Sauvage) is a type of skin fish from the Pangasiidae family. Pangasius is currently highly demanded in the world market. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of slaughter weight on carcass and meat quality of Punga fish. Two hundred and forty Punga fish from a commercial farm were divided into three groups, 80 fish for each group, based on average target body weights of 700, 900 and 1200 g, respectively. Meat quality was investigated in two muscle sections, the dorsal and the ventral fillet. Carcass quality (dressing and fillet percentage) did not change with slaughter weight. Fillet pH measured at 45 min and 24 h gradually decreased from 6.68 to 5.98 and 6.66 to 5.97 in dorsal and ventral fillet, respectively. Drip loss was larger in the dorsal fillet of the groups weighing 900 and 1200 g. The highest fat percentage was found in the ventral section of fish group weighing 1200 g. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were increased in every group and meat section with storage. It was highest in the ventral section of the group weighing 1200 g. In addition, a greater collagen concentration was found in ventral than in the dorsal fillet. Otherwise, slaughter weight and muscle section did not have significant effects on thawing loss, moisture and protein percentage.