Sayd et al., (2006) evaluated color variability in porcine semimembranosus
muscle (light pale vs. normal) and related color differences
to sarcoplasmic protein expression. However, catfish
muscle proteome has not been characterized and the biochemistry
of red color defect in catfish fillets has not been examined
previously.
Therefore, the major focus of this study was to identify catfish
fillet quality biomarkers using proteomics that could help the
aquaculture industry to minimize the incidence of red fillets. The
specific objectives of the present study were: (a) to determine
quality parameters such as color, pH, texture, and cooking loss in
normal and reddish catfish fillets, (b) to characterize the sensory
attributes of normal and reddish catfish fillets using descriptive
sensory analysis, and (c) to characterize the myofibrillar and
sarcoplasmic proteomes in normal and reddish catfish fillets
employing two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass
spectrometry.