Lipid, Cholesterol and Fatty Acid Profile of Some Commercially Important Fish Species From South Caspian Sea

The fatty acid, lipid, cholesterol and energy contents in five commercially important fish species from South Caspian Sea (common kilka, Caspian kutum, golden gray mullet, common carp and pike perch) were evaluated. The fatty acid compositions of these five fish species ranged from 28.99 to 41.05% saturated fatty acids, 40.99–56.25% monounsaturated fatty acids and 14.22–23.03% polyunsaturated fatty acids. Among these, those occurring in the highest proportions were palmitic acid (20.42–27.9%), palmitoleic acid (11.09–26.26%), oleic acid (16.1–36.94%), eicosapentaenoic acid (3.22–7.53%) and docosahexaenoic acid (3.86–11.36%). The lipid, cholesterol and energy contents ranged from 1.97% to 10.23%, 57–302 mg/100 g and 4365.4–5544.2 cal g/dm, respectively. The obtained Statistical results showed that in these fishes, many of the above mentioned indices had significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) and the cluster analysis results of fatty acid compositions showed that common carp and pike perch had good similarity, followed by the Caspian kutum and golden gray mullet. However, common kilka did not show any similarity to others. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Fish consumption has been linked to health benefits such as reduced risk of coronary heart disease. This is largely attributed to the lipid, cholesterol, energy contents, fatty acid compositions and the polyunsaturated fatty acids present in fish oils. The ω-3 : ω-6, polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid and eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid/C16 ratios are considered to be useful criteria for comparing relative nutritional and oxidation values of fish oils.