Study and determination of fatty acid composition of some commercially important freshwater fish

Fatty acid composition of fish is one of the key factors for the evaluation of fish nutritional value and it could be different based on fish species, habitat, nutrition and etc. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the fatty acid composition of five commercially important freshwater fish from the fish market. Studied fish were as follows: Barbell, Luciobarbus pectoralis (Heckel, 1843), Chub, Squalius cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758), Common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758), Brond-snout, Chondrostoma regium (Heckel, 1843) and Longspine scraper, Capoeta trutta (Heckel, 1843). The determination of fatty acid contents of the fish fillets has been conducted through Gas-chromatography. Results of the present study showed that Fillets of Luciobarbus pectoralis with 43.49% had the the highest amount of fatty acids and Cyprinus carpio had the highest amount of saturated fat (SAF) of 29.43%, the fillets of Luciobarbus pectoralis had the highest MUFA (Monounsaturated fatty acid) with 18.51%, fillets of Squalius cephalus with 1.87% had the highest amount of PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid), fillets of Chondrostoma regium with 1.1% had the highest omega 6, and the fillets of Squalius cephalus had the highest omega 3 (1.87%). The results of the present study revealed that freshwater fish are good sources of n-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA, and could be considered as a valuable source of nutritional ingredients.