Cultured sweet smelt have significantly higher lipid content than wild ones.
The researchers compared the nutritional content of wild and cultured sweet smelt muscles and eggs. Wild sweet smelt from different rivers had similar protein and ash content in their muscles. Cultured sweet smelt had more fat and less moisture in their muscles, likely due to their diet. Eggs from both wild and cultured fish had higher fat, protein, and carbohydrate content than their muscles. All samples showed a negative relationship between moisture and fat content.