UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

The present study evaluated the biochemical composition of muscle tissue of the freshwater fish Channa striata collected from the River Kharun near Kumhari, Chhattisgarh, India. Fish samples were obtained from three sampling sites representing upstream, midstream and downstream stretches of the river during summer, rainy and winter seasons. Muscle tissue was analysed for moisture, protein, lipid, carbohydrate and ash contents using standard biochemical procedures. The results showed moderate seasonal and spatial numerical variation in the proximate composition of C. striata. Moisture content ranged from 74.90 ± 0.59% to 80.55 ± 0.72%, with the highest value recorded at the downstream site during the rainy season. Protein content varied from 15.96 ± 0.33% to 19.26 ± 0.52%, with the highest value observed at the upstream site during winter. Lipid content ranged from 1.63 ± 0.06% to 2.58 ± 0.12% and also showed comparatively higher values during winter. Carbohydrate content ranged from 0.86 ± 0.03% to 1.32 ± 0.06%, whereas ash content ranged from 1.25 ± 0.02% to 1.53 ± 0.04%. Although numerical differences were recorded among seasons and sites, one-way analysis of variance indicated that the differences were not statistically significant at p > 0.05. These findings suggest that the proximate biochemical composition of C. striata muscle remained relatively stable across the examined seasons and sampling sites. The study provides baseline information on the biochemical profile of C. striata from the River Kharun and supports its nutritional relevance as a freshwater fish resource in Chhattisgarh. The findings should be interpreted in view of the limited biological and environmental data available for the study period.