Biochemical composition of juvenile cultured vs. wild silver pomfret, Pampus argenteus: determining the diet for cultured fish.

We evaluated the biochemical composition of juvenile cultured and wild silver pomfret Pampus argenteus. Cultured silver pomfret (SF) had significantly (P<0.05) lower crude protein content and higher crude lipid content than wild SF. Concentrations of almost all amino acids, except glycine and arginine, were significantly higher (P<0.05) in wild SF compared to cultured SF. Further, wild SF had a significantly (P<0.05) higher concentration of total amino acids (TAA), essential amino acids (EAA), and a higher essential amino acid index (EAAI) than cultured SF. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) in cultured SF were significantly higher than in wild SF. However, the content of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and n-3 fatty acids in wild SF was significantly higher than in cultured SF. Mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in cultured and wild SF were not significantly different. Fatty acids C16:0 and C18:1 were the principal fatty acids of the SFAs and MUFAs, respectively, in both cultured and wild SF. The results will be useful for determining the dietary requirements for culture of SF.