Muscle cellularity and flesh quality of wild and farmed sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L.

Muscle cellularity was different between both groups, such that muscle fibre density was higher for wild specimens (p < 0.05). Farmed sea bass showed a higher content of moisture and protein (p < 0.01), and a lower flesh pH, and hydroxyproline and collagen contents (p < 0.01). Despite of the fact that the total fat did not show significant differences between both populations, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were significantly higher in farmed than in wild sea bass, whereas wild fish showed a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the total content of ω−3 fatty acids between both groups. All textural properties were significantly higher in wild than in farmed fish (p < 0.001), all of them show a positive and significant correlation with muscle fibre density, pH, hydroxyproline and collagen contents. Changes in these parameters determined marked differences in the flesh quality of wild and farmed sea bass, whereas no relationship was found between muscle cellularity and nutritional composition of the sea bass. According to our results, genetic factors as well as the influence of extrinsic factors such as feeding regimes and/or exercise may determine significant variations of some structural and flesh quality parameters of the sea bass.