African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development Vol. 1 (2), pp. 042-044, October, 2013. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of a fast and simple method for measuring plasma lactate levels in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (L.)

Rosa M. Serra-Llinares¹, Helge Tveiten², Børge Damsgård² and Øyvind Aas-Hansen²*

¹Institute of Marine Research, P. O. Box 6404, Tromsø, Norway.

²Nofima - Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research. P. O. Box 6122, NO-9291, Tromsø,

Norway.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +47 77629202. Fax: +47 77629100.

Accepted 16 July, 2013

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the validity of measuring circulatory lactate levels in plasma from Atlantic cod using Lactate Pro^TM, a portable meter described for measuring whole blood lactate in this species. Atlantic cod were either unstressed or subjected to short- or long-term crowding stress. Whole blood was analyzed on site, and a strong positive relationship was evident between lactate concentrations measured in whole blood and 5 months later in frozen and thawed plasma. Our results indicate that the portable meter can be effectively used also to detect differences in plasma lactate in this species.