Biochemical composition of Sardinella gibbosa, Clupeonella engrauliformis and Stolephorus indicus bones from the Oman Sea and Caspian Sea

The present work was conducted to investigate the chemical composition (amino acid, mineral content, and lipid profile) of bones from three different Iranian pelagic fish species. The biochemical composition of Sardinella gibbosa, Clupeonella engrauliformis and Stolephorus indicus bones captured from the Iranian Ocean (the Oman Sea and Caspian Sea) were determined. The analysis of amino acids and fatty acid profiles was done by HPLC and GC and also analysis of minerals was done by means of flame atomic emission spectrophotometry. The least amount of mono unsaturated fatty acids was observed in C. engrauliformis (p<0.05). The highest contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids and n3/n6 ratio were observed in bones of C. engrauliformis. High levels of Ca, Fe, P, Zn and Cu minerals were measured in S. gibbosa and C. engrauliformis, respectively. The highest values of basic amino acid and sulfur containing amino acids were measured in S. gibbosa and C. engrauliformis, respectively. The chemical index did not reveal lack of any essential amino acids in three studied fish varieties compared to reference protein. On the basis of result, the best bone composition was observed in S. gibbosa. Therefore, the use of bone powders varieties of these fish could be useful in food industries.