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Proximate, Mineral and Vitamin Contents of Indian Major Carp

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DOI: 10.5958/2231-6744.2016.00018.9

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 Indian J. Anim. Nutr. 2016. 33 (1): 102-107 Indian Journal of
doi: 10.5958/2231-6744.2016.00018.9
Animal Nutrition

Proximate, Mineral and Vitamin Contents of Indian Major Carp

B.N. Paul*, S. Chanda, N. Sridhar1, G.S. Saha2 and S.S. Giri2
Regional Research Centre of CIFA, P.O. Rahara, Kolkata-700 118, West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT
The variation in proximate composition, mineral and vitamin content was determined in relation to
different body weight groups of Indian major carp viz., rohu (Labeo rohita), catla (Catla catla) and mrigal
(Cirrhinus mrigala). The samples were collected from different places of West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka and
Chattisgarh and were grouped as 1-50 g, 51-500 g, 501-2000 g and >2000 g. The moisture content was higher
(P<0.05) in >2000 g group of rohu and mrigal when compared to catla. The contents of protein, lipids and total
ash were similar in all the major carp irrespective of weight groups. Calcium content was higher (P<0.05) in rohu
and mrigal in all the weight groups. Sodium, potassium and iron contents were more (P<0.05) in >2000 g group
of rohu when compared to others. The Zn content of rohu of 51-500 g group was higher (P<0.05) vis-à-vis other
groups. Mrigal of size groups 1-50 g and >2000 g contained the highest content of vitamin A. The vitamin D
level was higher (P<0.05) in 1-50 g of rohu and 51-2000 g groups of mrigal.
Key words: Proximate composition, Mineral, Vitamin, Rohu, Catla, Mrigal

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INTRODUCTION
Fish have been a key source of food for humans the consumers (Jabeen and Chaudhary, 2011).
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(Ayoola, 2010) and fish protein occupies an important Indian major carp viz., rohu, catla and mrigal are
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position in human nutrition (Nargis, 2006). A portion of
150 g of fish can provide about 50-60% of an adult’s
daily protein requirement (FAO, 2014). Fish are also a
good source of all the essential amino acids, fatty acids,
vitamins and minerals and the consumption of fish and
fish products helps in preventing cardiovascular and other
diseases (Cahu et al., 2004). Flesh texture, protein and
fat composition are usually the main factors that
determine consumer acceptance (Pal and Ghosh, 2013).
As most of the cereal based diets lack these compounds,
rural households dependent on maize and other cereals
are greatly benefitted by including fish in the diet. The
fish provides easily digestible protein of high biological
value. Despite the fact that enormous volume of work
on fish as health food has been carried out in India and
other parts of the world, however, the information on
mineral composition of fish is scarce (Gopakumar 1997;
Balachandran, 2001). The chemical analysis of
freshwater fish is very important because it provides
useful information to the nutritionists with readily
available sources of low fat and high protein content
Corresponding author: Email: bnpaulcifa@gmail.com; 1Regional Research Centre of CIFA, Hessaraghatta Lake, P.O. Hessaraghatta,
*
the more commonly consumed freshwater fish in India.
The aim of this study was to analyze and document the
proximate composition, mineral and vitamin content of
Indian major carp. This information will help the
scientists, dieticians, physicians, food manufacturers and
policy makers to take decision not only on production
and value addition of fish food products but also for
consumer guidance and preference.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The samples of rohu (70), catla (65) and mrigal
(60) of different size groups were collected from West
Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Karnataka
and Chhattisgarh and grouped according to their body
weights viz., 1-50 g, 51-500 g, 501-2000 g and >2000 g.
The sampling procedure and sample preparation for
analysis were followed as per Sankar et al. (2010).
Proximate composition of fish tissue samples was
done as per AOAC (1995). The mineral assay was done
as per AOAC (2005) and Paul et al. (2014) using atomic
absorption spectrophotometer (Thermofisher, M Series).
Calcium (Talapatra et al., 1940) and P (Taussky and

Bangalore-560 089, Karnataka, India; 2Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar-751002, Odisha, India

102
Indian J. Anim. Nutr. 2016. 33 (1): 102-107
 Nutrient profile of Indian major carp

Shorr, 1953) contents were analysed. The sample
preparation for vitamin analysis was done as per the
method of Sankar et al. (2010). The data were s
tatistically analyzed as per Snedecor and Cochran (1968)
by one way ANOVA and the least significance
difference was used for comparison of the mean
values.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The proximate composition of Indian major carps
(IMC) has been presented in Table 1. The moisture
content in the IMC ranged from 72.69-78.47%
irrespective of their weight. Rohu and mrigal had higher
moisture content than catla. There was no significant
difference in protein, fat and ash content of rohu, catla
and mrigal. The protein content in IMC ranged from
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report (Sankar et al. 2001). The protein content among
IMCs was similar in all the species. The fat content of
rohu, catla and mrigal rangesd from 1.56 to 5.60%. It
was observed that the small fish contained less fat and
it increased with their size (Sankar et al. 2001). The
ash content in the species was similar to the earlier
report of Sankar et al., (2001). The proximate
composition was also in agreement with that reported
by Sharma et al. (2009) and Mazumdar et al. (2008).
The contents of Na, Ca and Fe were higher
(P<0.05) in >2000 g group of rohu. The content of K
was higher (P<0.05) in >2000 g of rohu and mrigal. The
Ca content was higher (P<0.05) in rohu and mrigal of
size 1-50 g, 51-500 g and 501-2000 g when compared to
catla. The contents of P and Mn were similar in all the

13.41 to 17.43% and fat from 1.98 to 3.92%. The groups irrespecive of weight ranges as well as species.
moisture content of the IMC ranged from 76 to 77% The P content (mg/100 g fillet) of IMC ranged from
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(Joseph et al., 1990; Gopakumar, 1997). The bigger sized 114.84 to 142.39. The Zn concentration was higher
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rohu and mrigal had higher (P<0.05) moisture content (P<0.05) in 1-50 g group of rohu and catla and 51-500 g
than catla (Sankar et al., 2001). The protein content of group of rohu. The K (247.11-282.06 mg/100 g) content
IMC as found in our study was lower than the earlier was higher than Na (177.00-217.27 mg/100 g) content

Table 1. Proximate composition (% wet weight basis) of Indian major carp of different weight groups
Composition Weight group (g) Rohu Catla Mrigal
Moisture 1-50 77.59±1.38 76.57±2.19 77.63±0.58
51-500 76.72±1.71 78.47±0.71 77.29±1.12
501-2000 75.07±1.83 75.66±2.53 74.92±1.35
> 2000 75.27 b±1.26 72.69a±0.15 75.29b±1.50
Protein 1-50 14.05±0.99 15.66±1.68 13.41±0.40
51-500 15.93±0.44 15.19±0.20 15.81±0.86
501-2000 16.15±1.81 16.08±0.78 15.38±0.53
> 2000 15.11±1.20 17.43±0.65 16.50±1.18
Lipids 1-50 1.88±0.41 2.07±0.46 1.67±0.53
51-500 1.72±0.49 1.56±0.17 1.56±0.30
501-2000 2.90±1.07 2.49±1.02 2.62±1.09
> 2000 4.20±1.16 5.60±0.88 3.35±1.05
Total ash 1-50 2.71±0.85 3.92±0.83 2.85±0.09
51-500 2.81±0.34 3.06±0.36 2.71±0.33
501-2000 2.64±0.83 2.48±0.31 2.45±0.13
>2000 1.98±0.08 2.45±0.13 2.34±0.20
a,b
Means with different superscripts in a row differ significantly (P<0.05)

103
Indian J. Anim. Nutr. 2016. 33 (1): 102-107
 Paul et al.

(Otitologbon, 1997). In the context of good nutrition, an mrigal in the present study was higher than other
optimum balance between the K (high) and Na (low) freshwater fish (Salam et al. 2002). Iron plays an
levels is required which was present in the IMC. The important role in oxidation-reduction reaction and
Ca and P level of these freshwater fishes reported in electron transport associated with cellular respiration
this study was in agreement with the earlier report of (Paul and Mukhopadhyay, 2001). The Mn content (0.25-
Shekhar et al. (2004). The Fe level in rohu, catla and 0.84 mg/100 g) of the IMCs was similar as reported by
Table 2. Mineral content (mg/100 g fillet) of Indian major carp of different weight groups
Mineral Weight group (g) Rohu Catla Mrigal
Sodium 1-50 204.08±16.41 204.41±36.76 197.46±16.89
51-500 210.71±39.24 210.17±58.75 200.45±20.49
501-2000 201.66±44.59 198.56±31.91 198.86±29.33
>2000 217.27b±34.02 177.00a±12.01 178.33a±14.70
Potassium 1-50 252.01±28.38 266.75±28.40 263.72±10.43
51-500 247.11±14.66 273.01±24.70 277.18±26.19
501-2000 263.12±32.03 282.06±6.14 270.50±23.46
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>2000 269.62b±36.16 206.76a ±18.20 281.95b±19.89

Calcium 1-50 245.90b±4.97 181.99a±6.40 293.74b±7.11
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51-500 242.76b±12.45 168.83a±2.91 266.88b±13.99

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501-2000 205.32b±4.84 160.97a±4.43 226.32b±14.28

> 000 223.58b±7.94 166.87a±5.88 183.09a±27.66
Phosphorus 1-50 132.35±15.25 114.84±32.18 119.02±8.08
51-500 140.30±5.85 141.89±10.50 126.62±5.78
501-2000 126.46±10.21 146.23±1.85 132.70±3.05
>2000 133.80±22.13 139.38±22.22 142.39±1.25
Iron 1-50 1.75±0.27 2.56±0.14 2.48±1.43
51-500 3.20±1.49 2.52±0.21 2.09±0.21
501-2000 2.05±0.49 1.70±0.37 1.85±0.51
>2000 4.23b±2.69 1.53a±0.26 1.51a±0.25
Manganese 1-50 0.84±0.59 0.55±0.18 0.26±0.17
51-500 0.48±0.10 0.41±0.13 0.41±0.27
501-2000 0.50±0.25 0.33±0.05 0.46±0.30
>2000 0.48±0.09 0.37±0.09 0.25±0.18
Zinc 1-50 2.05b±0.78 2.22b±0.87 1.11a±1.00
51-500 1.94b±0.23 0.57a±0.29 1.07a±0.69
501-2000 2.08±0.54 1.44±0.25 1.17±0.57
>2000 2.05±0.78 1.35±0.30 0.87±0.22
Selenium 1-50 0.39±0.23 0.56±0.32 0.33±0.26
51-500 0.29±0.18 0.43±0.35 0.19±0.05
501-2000 0.75±0.60 0.24±0.10 0.30±0.07
>2000 0.57±0.36 0.33±0.10 0.16±0.04
a,b
Means with different superscripts in a row differ significantly (P<0.05)

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Indian J. Anim. Nutr. 2016. 33 (1): 102-107
 Nutrient profile of Indian major carp

Table 3. Vitamin content of Indian major carp of different weight range

Vitamin Weight group (g) Rohu Catla Mrigal
Vitamin A 1-50 19.63b±0.38 1.05a±0.01 50.82c±5.70
(I.U/100 g fillet) 51-500 3.22±0.23 2.43±0.41 4.63±0.39
501-2000 4.22a±0.47 30.53b±1.03 26.09b±2.43
>2000 7.67a±0.34 14.72b±0.79 42.43c±8.09
Vitamin D 1-50 208.40c±1.88 56.76a±3.36 110.34b±10.29
(I.U./100 g fillet) 51-500 30.80±1.72 39.70±0.51 52.00±4.23
501-2000 36.08a±2.06 102.40b±7.83 243.81c±1.87
>2000 62.40b±0.88 39.32a±0.80 203.20c±2.03
Vitamin E 1-50 0.88±0.08 0.52±0.04 0.35±0.07
(I.U./100 g fillet) 51-500 0.16±0.01 0.69±0.01 0.58±0.06
501-2000 0.54±0.02 0.48±0.08 0.91±0.02
> 2000 0.70±0.08 0.40±0.06 0.78±0.04
Vitamin K 1-50 1.45b±0.07 0.16a±0.02 0.17a±0.02
(µg/100 g fillet) 51-500 0.16±0.01 0.21±0.02 0.15±0.01
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501-2000 0.41a±0.03 1.21b±0.08 0.32a±0.09

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> 2000 0.99±0.10 0.26±0.06 0.15±0.01

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a,b,c
Means with different superscripts in a row differ significantly (P<0.05)

Ozyurt et al. (2009). The Zn content of rohu, catla and
mrigal ranged from 0.57 to 2.88 (mg/100 g). Selenium
along with vitamin E is essential to prevent nutritional
muscular dystrophy. Selenium is implicated in the
metabolism of tocopherol compounds (Chanda et al.
2015). Selenium compounds are also capable of
protecting heavy metal toxicity like cadmium and
mercury (Watnabe et al. 1997). The Se content in the
present study ranged from 0.16 to 0.57 mg/100 g in IMC.
The vitamin A content was higher (P<0.05) in 1-
50 g and >2000 g of mrigal when compared with other
IMC. The vitamin D content was more (P<0.05) in 1-
50 g of rohu and 501-2000 g and >2000 g group of
mrigal. There was no significant difference in vitamin E
content among the three IMC. The vitamin K content
was higher (P<0.05) in 501-2000 g of catla and 1-50 g
of rohu when compared with other IMC. Fish acts as a
good source of fat soluble vitamins viz., A, D, E and K.
Liu (2003) reported that vitamin A from fish is easily
utilized by our body than from plant sources. Vitamin A
is responsible for normal vision, bone growth and its
derivative retinoic acid which helps in the regulation of
gene expression in developmental epithelial tissue (Roos
105
Indian J. Anim. Nutr. 2016. 33 (1): 102-107
et al., 2003). Fat soluble vitamin content in fish flesh is
affected by the level of fat (Ozyurt et al., 2009). The
vitamin A content in 1-50 g and >2000 g groups of mrigal
was higher (P,0.05) than rohu and catla. Vitamin D plays
a major role in activation of the innate and the adaptive
immune systems (Hewison, 2011). All the IMC had good
amount of vitamin D content. Vitamin E content in rohu,
catla and mrigal ranged from 0.16 to 0.91 I.U/100 g.
This vitamin is required to maintain flesh quality,
immunity, normal resistance of red blood corpuscles to
haemolysis, permeability of capillaries and heart muscles
(Halver, 2002). Also, it acts as lipid soluble antioxidant
and protects biological membranes, lipoproteins and
lipids against oxidation (Hamre, 1998). Our body needs
vitamin K for modifications in post translational stages
of certain proteins required for blood coagulation and in
metabolic pathways in bone and other tissue (Halver,
2002). The vitamin K content of the IMC ranged from
0.16 to 1.45 µg/100 g.
CONCLUSIONS
The contents of protein, lipids and total ash were
similar in all the major carp irrespective of weight groups.
 Paul et al.
Calcium content was higher (P<0.05) in rohu and mrigal
in all the weight groups. Sodium, potassium and iron
contents were more (P<0.05) in >2000 g group of rohu
when compared to others. The Zn content of rohu of
51-500 g group was (P<0.05) higher vis-à-vis other
groups. Mrigal of size groups 1-50 g and >2000 g
contained the highest content of vitamin A. The vitamin
D level was higher (P<0.05) in 1-50 g of rohu and 51-
2000 g groups of mrigal.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was supported by Ministry of
Agriculture, Government of India under ICAR Outreach
Activity-3 on “Nutrient Profiling and Evaluation of Fish
as a Dietary Component”. The authors wish to thank
Deputy Director General (Fisheries) and Director, CIFA
for providing necessary facility to conduct the work.
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Received on 10-11-2015 and accepted on 11-03-2016

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