Effects of different feeding strategies and an alternative fish processing on the quality of sea bass fillets after in vitro digestion.

Fish is the most important source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in the human diet. For this reason, technologies are being developed to increase its quality and shelf-life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an innovative organic diet and pulsed electric field (PEF) technology, an emerging method of food preservation, on the digestibility of European sea bass fillets. Sea bass juveniles were fed ad libitum with the conventional or organic diet, and the corresponding fillets were randomly divided into two groups, treated or not with PEF after brine salting. Samples underwent static in vitro digestion [1], and digested samples were analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and GC to evaluate their metabolome, fatty acid content and composition. Slight differences were found between the two feeding groups, indicating that the organic diet did not significantly improve the quality of digested fillets. The PEF treatment did not negatively affect the fillets’ quality, confirming its potential for preservation of fish and its possible exploitation by the fishing industry.