The aim of this study was to determine concentrations of Na, K, Mg, Ca, P, Zn and Fe in the meat of ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua L.) and to investigate the relationship between fish sex or age and the mineral content of fish meat. 90 individuals of ruffe were caught in autumn (from October 9 to November 6) from the Vistula River, near Toruń and he local wastewater treatment plant. The muscle tissues from the large side muscle in a fish body, above the lateral line, were taken for analyses. All frozen meat samples were freeze dried in a freeze dryer and then tissues were mineralized in a microwave mineralizer. Concentrations of minerals were determined by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. As the analyses indicated, the concentrations of macroelements were arranged in the order: K > Ca > P > Na > Mg and the content of microelements was noted in the following decreasing sequence: Zn > Fe. The ranges of the mean concentrations of Na, K, Mg, Ca and P (g·kg-1) were as follows: from 2.38 to 2.68, from 14.74 to 16.16, from 1.47 to 1.60, from 5.63 to 8.06, from 2.18 to 3.59, respectively. The ranges of the mean concentration of microelements (mg kg-1) were from 49 to 74 for Zn and from 26 to 29 for Fe. Statistically significant relationships between the age and the macro- and microelement concentrations were verified, and this tendency was comparable to the data obtained by other authors. Results of these studies showed that the sex of ruffe was not an important factor for the levels of macro- and microelements in this species.

22.4.2017