Abstract: 【Objective】 This study aimed to investigate the differences in nutritional values of muscle in Cyprinus carpio at different altitudes， providing a scientific basis for elucidating the flavor of high-altitude Cyprinus carpio and enhancing aquatic product quality.【Method】 Based on the national standard of China， the conventional nutritional components， mineral elements， amino acids， and fatty acids in the muscle of Cyprinus carpio var. Heibei （reared at 280， 470， 660， and 810 m） and Cyprinus carpio var. Xiangxi （reared at 322， 530， 548， and 1000 m） were determined. Their nutritional values were evaluated and correlations between altitudes and nutrient components were analyzed.【Result】 With increasing altitude， the total essential amino acids in the muscle of Cyprinus carpio var. Heibei increased from 5.46 g/100 g at 280 m to 5.87 g/100 g at 810 m， while umami amino acids decreased from 5.11 g/100 g to 4.93 g/100 g. In contrast， both total essential amino acids and umami amino acids in Cyprinus carpio var. Xiangxi fluctuated with increasing altitude， increasing from 5.48 and 3.83 g/100 g at 322 m to 5.90 and 4.03 g/100 g at 1000 m， respectively. The contents of zinc， selenium， eicosapentaenoic acid （EPA）， and docosahexaenoic acid （DHA） in the two Cyprinus carpio varieties generally increased with rising altitudes. Within the altitude range of 280-810 m， the zinc content in Cyprinus carpio var. Heibei increased from 5.82 mg/kg to 11.58 mg/kg， selenium content increased from 0.12 mg/kg to 0.45 mg/kg， and EPA+DHA content increased from 0.05 g/100 g to 0.09 g/100 g. For Cyprinus carpio var. Xiangxi， in the altitude range of 322-1000 m， zinc content increased from 5.30 mg/kg to 7.67 mg/kg， selenium content increased from 0.15 mg/kg to 1.40 mg/kg， and EPA+DHA content increased from 0.04 g/100 g to 0.12 g/100 g. Amino acid score analysis indicated obvious differences in limiting amino acids of Cyprinus carpio var. Heibei across altitudes： methionine+cystine and valine predominated at low altitudes， while combinations of valine and tryptophan/isoleucine at medium-to-high altitudes. In contrast， Cyprinus carpio var. Xiangxi consistently showed methionine+cystine and tryptophan limitation across altitudes. Chemical scores confirmed that the limitation patterns of methionine+cystine and tryptophan were consistent and stable in both varieties. Principal component analysis revealed that Cyprinus carpio var. Heibei at 660 m and Cyprinus carpio var. Xiangxi at 530 m exhibited the optimal nutritionin terms of crude fat content and amino acids， while Cyprinus carpio var. Heibei at 280 m and Cyprinus carpio var. Xiangxi at 548 m had the highest comprehensive scores for fatty acids. Correlation analysis showed that the EPA and DHA contents in the muscle of Cyprinus carpio var. Heibei were highly correlated with altitudes， with correlation coefficients of 0.92 and 0.81， respectively. In the muscle of Cyprinus carpio var. Xiangxi， EPA and DHA contents exhibited an extremely significant （P<0.01） and a significant （P<0.05） positive correlation with altitudes， respectively.【Conclusion】 High-altitude environments significantly enhance the nutrient in the muscle of Cyprinus carpio， including contents of essential amino acids， umami amino acids， zinc， selenium， and EPA+DHA. The fresh and tasty flavor of high-altitude Cyprinus carpio may stem from nutrient enrichment under high-altitude environment， particularly the increase in umami amino acids， though different varieties respond differently to altitude.