Revealing the evolution of lipid extracts from tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) during cold storage: based on lipid metabolism analysis via GC-Q-MS and characterization of lipid oxidation

Lipid oxidation of tilapia is unavoidable during cold storage. Therefore, this study revealed the lipid metabolism process of tilapia using gas chromatography-quadrupole-mass spectrometry (GC-Q-MS) based lipid metabolism analysis, analyzed the free radicals, and characterized the lipid oxidation and free fatty acids (FFAs) to clarify the contribution of lipid in tilapia during cold storage. Three important metabolic pathways including biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acids degradation, and fatty acids biosynthesis and differential metabolites were screened. A metabolic network map related to lipid metabolism was constructed. And from the indicators characterizing the lipid oxidation, free radicals, and the FAAs profiles displayed that the lipid was oxidized to a higher degree during cold storage. Overall, this study provided an explanation of lipid oxidation and the contribution of lipid metabolism in tilapia during cold storage, which helps in the insights on the improvement and regulation of quality.