Effect of Different Cooking Methods on The Nutritional Composition f Tilapia (Oreochromis Sp.)

Abstract

Tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) is a fish that is gaining ground in cultivation and sales because of its nutritional properties: high protein content, vitamins, and minerals with few unhealthy saturated fats as in red meats. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of cooking on the chemical composition, Aw, and pH, in addition to the electrophoretic, and fatty acid profile of the Tilapia using an electric oven, microwave and steaming as cooking methods. The results showed that the nutritional components of Tilapia changed significantly (p<0.05) at two temperatures and at two potencies used. Microwave and steaming preserved better the proteins in the Tilapia after its cooking. Electrophoresis results showed a decrease in intensity and number of bands depending on the type of treatment to which the meat was subjected. On the other hand, the electric oven method at 2 temperatures resulted with the highest increase in essential fatty acids (45% and 36%), with a slight decrease in the ω-6 family, because of a probable hydrolysis or oxidation of the same. The steam cooking showed a slight increase in essential fatty acids, but microwave oven preserved better the proteins, indicating that this could be a good method for cooking Tilapia.