Improvement in Raw Meat Texture of Cultured Eel by Feeding of Tochu Leaf Powder

Abstract

The muscle of eels fed tochu (Eucommia ulmoides Oliver) leaf powder was 1.8 times harder than the control. The component analysis showed no difference in moisture, lipid, or protein content between the muscles of the control and the tochu-fed eels. Not only the extracted neutral fat but also the compound fat of the raw muscles of the tochu-fed eel and the control had the same TLC patterns and fatty acid composition by gas chromatographic analysis. There was a great difference between the tochu-fed eel and the control concerning the amount of muscle protein stroma fraction which mainly consisted of collagen. The microscopic observation showed that the perimysium and endmysium which were the main components of the stroma fraction of the muscle of the tochu-fed eel were firm and thick compared to those of the control. These findings suggested that the intake of tochu leaf powder hardened the muscle.