{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T20:56:50Z","timestamp":1791838610651,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786665600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009075","name":"Young Talent Project of GDAS","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2023GDASQNRC-0219"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023GDASQNRC-0219"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009075","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009075","name":"Young Talent Project of GDAS","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2025GDASQNRC-0305"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025GDASQNRC-0305"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009075","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009075","name":"GDAS\u2019 Project of Science and Technology Development","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2024GDASZH-2024010101"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024GDASZH-2024010101"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009075","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009075","name":"GDAS\u2019 Project of Science and Technology Development","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2024GDASZH-2024010102"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024GDASZH-2024010102"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009075","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"2025 Research on Breeding Technology of Candidate Species for Guangdong Modern Marine Ranching","award":["2025-MRB-00-001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025-MRB-00-001"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The swim bladder (fish maw) of the blackspotted croaker (Protonibea diacanthus) commands a high price for males, yet the biological basis for this preference has remained unclear. We evaluated sexual dimorphism in commercially sized fish (n = 30 per sex) by comparing body weight, and assessed swim bladder texture and nutrient composition of both swim bladder and dorsal muscle in a subset of four fish per sex. Male swim bladders possess significantly superior textural properties than those of females, particularly in the key parameters of hardness (1804.33 \u00b1 581.05 vs. 728.53 \u00b1 46.81 gf), springiness (0.91 \u00b1 0.03 vs. 0.73 \u00b1 0.09), and chewiness (1161.18 \u00b1 171.86 vs. 374.68 \u00b1 97.72 gf) (all p &lt; 0.05), whereas body weight, swim bladder weight, and total collagen content did not differ. Swim bladder amino acid and fatty acid profiles were largely similar between sexes, except for higher glutamic acid and leucine in males. In contrast, dorsal muscle proximate and nutrient profiles showed no significant differences between sexes, indicating nutritionally equivalent fish meat. These results demonstrate that sex critically affects swim bladder but not muscle quality, highlighting the need for further investigation into the mechanisms underlying these textural differences of swim bladder and explore potential dietary or genetic interventions to modulate swim bladder quality in aquaculture.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16162534","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T08:08:29Z","timestamp":1786694909000},"page":"2534","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Sexual Dimorphism in Swim Bladder Texture, Composition, and Muscle Nutrient Profile of Commercial-Sized Black-Spotted Croaker (Protonibea diacanthus)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Cheng","family":"Peng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiahui","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huayi","family":"Xue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ningwen","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sen","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Havwii Agricultural Group Co., Ltd., Zhanjiang 524266, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yaorong","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8709-0138","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yong","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-6098-6213","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shijia","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8877169","DOI":"10.1155\/2024\/8877169","article-title":"Reproductive Biology of Black Jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus) off the East Coast of Australia","volume":"2024","author":"Williams","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Appl. Ichthyol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.1111\/fme.12791","article-title":"Stock and Market Status of High-Valued Blackspotted Croaker (Protonibea diacanthus) in Bangladesh","volume":"32","author":"Barua","year":"2025","journal-title":"Fish. Manag. Ecol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2143","DOI":"10.1016\/j.csr.2008.03.022","article-title":"Fishery Biology and Management of Protonibea diacanthus (Sciaenidae) Aggregations in Far Northern Cape York Peninsula Waters","volume":"28","author":"Phelan","year":"2008","journal-title":"Cont. Shelf Res."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ghosh, S., Dash, G., Dash, B., Pradhan, R.K., Megarajan, S., Behera, P.R., Ranjan, R., Sen, S., Das, M., and Suresh, V.R. (2025). From Ocean to Cage: Evaluating the Culture Feasibility of Black-Spotted Croaker (Protonibea diacanthus). Front. Mar. Sci., 11.","DOI":"10.3389\/fmars.2024.1473319"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10291","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-023-37428-y","article-title":"Relationships between Local Variability in Parasite Communities of the Black-Spotted Croaker (Protonibea diacanthus) (Teleostei: Sciaenidae) and Host Population Structure and Seasonality","volume":"13","author":"Porter","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.3354\/meps08469","article-title":"Spatial and Temporal Use of Spawning Aggregation Sites by the Tropical Sciaenid Protonibea diacanthus","volume":"403","author":"Semmens","year":"2010","journal-title":"Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2956","DOI":"10.1080\/10408398.2015.1081145","article-title":"Fillet Proximate Composition, Lipid Quality, Yields, and Organoleptic Quality of Mediterranean-Farmed Marine Fish: A Review with Emphasis on New Species","volume":"57","author":"Grigorakis","year":"2017","journal-title":"Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104696","DOI":"10.1016\/j.marpol.2021.104696","article-title":"China\u2019s Fish Maw Demand and Its Implications for Fisheries in Source Countries","volume":"132","author":"Jimenez","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mar. Policy"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"809","DOI":"10.1007\/s11160-019-09585-9","article-title":"Emerging from the Murk: Threats, Challenges and Opportunities for the Global Swim Bladder Trade","volume":"29","author":"To","year":"2019","journal-title":"Rev. Fish Biol. Fish."},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"101207","article-title":"Sexual Dimorphism in the Texture Properties of Swim Bladder of Nibea coibor and Its Molecular Basis Revealed by Comparative Transcriptome Analysis","volume":"25","author":"Lin","year":"2022","journal-title":"Aquacult. Rep."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhang, H., Lin, J., Guo, H., He, X., Jiang, W., Yan, L., Yan, K., Wen, X., and Lin, F. (2025). Proteomics-Based Investigation of Sexual Dimorphism in Swim Bladder Texture of Chu\u2019s Croaker (Nibea coibor). Foods, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods14091586"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Beato, S., Ecker-Eckhofen, G., Shao, C., and Piferrer, F. (2026). Genetic, Endocrine and Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying Sexual Size Dimorphism in Fish. Sex. Dev., Epub ahead of print.","DOI":"10.1159\/000550574"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kottler, V.A., and Schartl, M. (2018). The Colorful Sex Chromosomes of Teleost Fish. Genes, 9.","DOI":"10.3390\/genes9050233"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"218","DOI":"10.1038\/hdy.2010.104","article-title":"Genetic Basis of Sexual Dimorphism in the Threespine Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus","volume":"106","author":"Leinonen","year":"2011","journal-title":"Heredity"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"124","DOI":"10.1007\/s11427-014-4797-9","article-title":"Genetic Basis and Biotechnological Manipulation of Sexual Dimorphism and Sex Determination in Fish","volume":"58","author":"Mei","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sci. China Life Sci."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"243","DOI":"10.1007\/s10126-008-9139-0","article-title":"Artificial Gynogenesis and Sex Determination in Half-Smooth Tongue Sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)","volume":"11","author":"Chen","year":"2009","journal-title":"Mar. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ygcen.2010.09.011","article-title":"Growth Differences and Differential Expression Analysis of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) and Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone (GHRH) between the Sexes in Half-Smooth Tongue Sole Cynoglossus semilaevis","volume":"170","author":"Ji","year":"2011","journal-title":"Gen. Comp. Endocrinol."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"882","DOI":"10.1111\/are.14434","article-title":"Induction of Sex Reversal in Blue Drum (Nibea mitsukurii) and Gynogenetic Yellow Drum (Nibea albiflora) by Oral Administration of Letrozole","volume":"51","author":"Qin","year":"2020","journal-title":"Aquac. Res."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"154","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aquaculture.2018.02.015","article-title":"Production of Neo-Males from Gynogenetic Yellow Drum through 17\u03b1-Methyltestosterone Immersion and Subsequent Application for the Establishment of All-Female Populations","volume":"489","author":"Xu","year":"2018","journal-title":"Aquaculture"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, Z.-Y., and Cai, M.-Y. (2018). Artificial Gynogenesis and Sex Control in Large Yellow Croaker. Sex Control in Aquaculture, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119127291.ch39"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shi, L., Song, F., Xing, S., Zhang, W., Liang, Y., Zhang, K., Sun, J., and Luo, J. (2023). The Muscle Nutritional Components Analysis of Golden Pompano (Trachinotus blochii) in Different Mariculture Area, Growth Stages, and Genders. Front. Nutr., 10.","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2023.1148687"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"741010","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aquaculture.2024.741010","article-title":"Production of Neomale and Neofemale Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea) and Establishment of All-Female Populations","volume":"590","author":"Mu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Aquaculture"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"597","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1745-4603.1996.tb00996.x","article-title":"Instrumental Texture Profile Analysis with Particular Reference to Gelled Systems","volume":"27","author":"Pons","year":"1996","journal-title":"J. Texture Stud."},{"key":"ref_24","unstructured":"(2016). National Food Safety Standard\u2014Determination of Moisture in Foods (Standard No. GB 5009.3-2016)."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"(2016). National Food Safety Standard\u2014Determination of Ash in Foods (Standard No. GB 5009.4-2016)."},{"key":"ref_26","unstructured":"(2025). National Food Safety Standard\u2014Determination of Protein in Foods (Standard No. GB 5009.5-2025)."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"(2025). National Food Safety Standard\u2014Determination of Fat in Foods (Standard No. GB 5009.6-2025)."},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"(2016). National Food Safety Standard\u2014Determination of Amino Acids in Foods (Standard No. GB 5009.124-2016)."},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"(2016). National Food Safety Standard\u2014Determination of Fatty Acids in Foods (Standard No. GB 5009.168-2016)."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"(2008). Meat and Meat Products\u2014Determination of Hydroxyproline Content (Standard No. GB\/T 9695.23-2008)."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"541","DOI":"10.1007\/s11802-015-2436-0","article-title":"Proline with or without Hydroxyproline Influences Collagen Concentration and Regulates Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase \u03b1 (I) Gene Expression in Juvenile Turbo (Scophthalmus maximus L.)","volume":"14","author":"Zhang","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Ocean Univ. China"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1792","DOI":"10.1111\/anu.13130","article-title":"Effects of Dietary Proline on Swim Bladder Collagen Synthesis and Its Possible Regulation by the TGF-\u03b2\/Smad Pathway in Spotted Drum, Nibea diacanthus","volume":"26","author":"Rong","year":"2020","journal-title":"Aquacult. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1779","DOI":"10.1007\/s10695-019-00676-9","article-title":"Effects of Dietary Hydroxyproline on Collagen Metabolism, Proline 4-Hydroxylase Activity, and Expression of Related Gene in Swim Bladder of Juvenile Nibea diacanthus","volume":"45","author":"Rong","year":"2019","journal-title":"Fish Physiol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref_34","unstructured":"(2016). National Food Safety Standard\u2014Determination of Multi-Elements in Foods (Standard No. GB 5009.268-2016)."},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"(2021). National Food Safety Standard\u2014Determination of Total Mercury and Organic Mercury in Foods (Standard No. GB 5009.17-2021)."},{"key":"ref_36","unstructured":"Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization, and United Nations University (1985). Energy and Protein Requirements: Report of a Joint FAO\/WHO\/UNU Expert Consultation (Held in Rome from 5 to 17 October 1981), WHO."},{"key":"ref_37","first-page":"100901","article-title":"First Report on the Swim Bladder Index, Proximate Composition, and Fatty Acid Analysis of Swim Bladder from Cultured Totoaba macdonaldi Fed Compound Aquafeeds","volume":"21","author":"Sachs","year":"2021","journal-title":"Aquacult. Rep."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1409","DOI":"10.1577\/T05-207.1","article-title":"Bioacoustics of Fishes of the Family Sciaenidae (Croakers and Drums)","volume":"135","author":"Ramcharitar","year":"2006","journal-title":"Trans. Am. Fish. Soc."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cruz-L\u00f3pez, H., Rodr\u00edguez-Morales, S., Enr\u00edquez-Paredes, L.M., Villarreal-G\u00f3mez, L.J., True, C., Olivera-Castillo, L., Fern\u00e1ndez-Velasco, D.A., and L\u00f3pez, L.M. (2023). Swim Bladder of Farmed Totoaba macdonaldi: A Source of Value-Added Collagen. Mar. Drugs, 21.","DOI":"10.3390\/md21030173"},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1016\/j.matbio.2020.08.002","article-title":"Role of Collagen XII in Skin Homeostasis and Repair","volume":"94","author":"Willenborg","year":"2020","journal-title":"Matrix Biol."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"726","DOI":"10.1007\/s11802-016-2870-7","article-title":"Comparison of Nutritional Quality in Fish Maw Product of Croaker Protonibea diacanthus and Perch Lates niloticus","volume":"15","author":"Wen","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Ocean Univ. China"},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dong, Y., and Dai, Z. (2022). Physicochemical, Structural and Antioxidant Properties of Collagens from the Swim Bladder of Four Fish Species. Mar. Drugs, 20.","DOI":"10.3390\/md20090550"},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mo, C., Wang, Q., Li, G., Dong, W., Liang, F., Wu, C., Wang, Z., and Wang, Y. (2023). Extraction and Characterization of Pepsin- and Acid-Soluble Collagen from the Swim Bladders of Megalonibea fusca. Mar. Drugs, 21.","DOI":"10.3390\/md21030159"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"929","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.biochem.77.032207.120833","article-title":"Collagen Structure and Stability","volume":"78","author":"Shoulders","year":"2009","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Biochem."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"915S","DOI":"10.1093\/jn\/130.4.915S","article-title":"Function and Importance of Glutamate for Savory Foods","volume":"130","year":"2000","journal-title":"J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.1017\/S000711450769936X","article-title":"Amino Acids and Immune Function","volume":"98","author":"Li","year":"2007","journal-title":"Br. J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.1080\/713610925","article-title":"Metabolism and Functions of Lipids and Fatty Acids in Teleost Fish","volume":"11","author":"Tocher","year":"2003","journal-title":"Rev. Fish. Sci."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"594","DOI":"10.1111\/anu.12426","article-title":"Effects of Protein Levels on Growth, Feed Utilization, Body Composition, Amino Acid Composition and Physiology Indices of Juvenile Chu\u2019s Croaker, Nibea coibor","volume":"23","author":"Huang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Aquacult. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"497","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aquaculture.2016.07.015","article-title":"Dietary Hydroxyproline Improves the Growth and Muscle Quality of Large Yellow Croaker Larimichthys crocea","volume":"464","author":"Wei","year":"2016","journal-title":"Aquaculture"}],"container-title":["Animals"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/16\/16\/2534\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T08:30:06Z","timestamp":1786696206000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/16\/16\/2534"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]},"references-count":49,"journal-issue":{"issue":"16","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["ani16162534"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ani16162534","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-2615"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-2615","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]}}}