Free aqueous metabolites in meat, fat and egg of a 4-year-old female Siberian sturgeon were analyzed in a metabolomic perspective. A total of 245 metabolites were detected and 91 were quantified. Major common metabolites among meat, fat and egg were lactic acid, creatine and alanine. There were some tissue-specific metabolites but at only minor levels. Carnosine, a dipeptide consisting of β-alanine and histidine and known for its geroprotetive (anti-aging) function, occurred in abundance in meat and fat but was not detected in egg. The same tendency was seen for another major metabolite, betaine (also known as N,N,N-trimethylglycine). These metabolomic profiles well characterized and discriminated meat, fat and egg, which were primarily characterized with creatine, betaine/choline and glutamic acid, respectively. The metabolite profile help developing aquacultural feed for sturgeons as well as utilizing sturgeons for human nutrition.

sturgeon, metabolomics, metabolite, amino acid, carboxylic acid, metabolic pathway