Exploring the Muscle Quality of Olive Flounder ( Paralichthys olivaceus ) Under Pre-Slaughter Hypoxic Stress Using a UPLC-QTOF-MS Based Metabolomics Method

This study aims to investigate the effects of pre-slaughter hypoxic stress on hemorheology and muscle of olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. The results showed that the fish with pre-slaughter hypoxic stress was at high levels in serum cortisol and lactic acid, and a low level in serum glucose, accompanying a rapid degradation rate of ATP in muscle. The endogenous metabolite changes of muscles in olive flounder subjected to pre-slaughter hypoxic stress mainly refer to amino acids, nucleotides, dipeptides, and lipids. This indicated that pre-slaughter hypoxic stress led to a loss in fish welfare, which in turn damaged the muscle storage stability.