The fatty acid composition of the lipids from two species of hake

The fatty acid composition of lipids extracted from the livers, muscle and skin of two hake species Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus were studied. In one instance a comparison was made between the fatty acid composition of the phospholipid and triglyceride fractions of the lipids. In pre‐spawning fish there appears to be a tendency for M. capensis to have fat of higher unsaturation than M. paradoxus. The only consistent species difference found was the high level of unsaturation of skin lipids relative to muscle lipids in M. paradoxus, a species living at greater depth and lower water temperatures. The major saturated fatty acid in hake lipids is that with 16 carbon atoms, the major monoenoic acid the one with 18 carbon atoms, while C22:6 is the dominant polyenoic fatty acid and C20:5 the second most plentiful in hake lipids. Phospholipids form a small proportion of the lipid from dark muscle. They are particularly rich in the fatty acids C16:0 and C22:6.