PROXIMATE COMPOSITION AND FATTY ACID PROFILES OF SELECTED FISH SPECIES FROM PAKISTAN

Abstract

In present study, the economically most important fish species, namely Mahseer (Tor putitora), Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), Common carp (Cyprinus carpio), Thela fish (Catla catla) and Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from Pakistan, were evaluated for their proximate compositions and fatty acid profiles. All of the analyzed fish were collected from the Northwestern regions (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) of Pakistan. Proximate analysis was done by using standard AOAC methods, whereas the detailed fatty acid composition was evaluated by using gas liquid chromatography. A significant difference (p< 0.05) was noticed for various proximate parameters and fatty acids profiles among fish species. Palmatic acid (C16:0) was the copious fatty acid of each fish species, with a range from 16.7% to 24.6%. Furthermore, all fish species were found as good sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) including alpha linolenic acids (ALA C18:3), arachidonic acids (AA C20:4), eicosapentaenoic (EPA C20:5) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA C22:6) and protein. Whereas, Rainbow trout ranked highest in PUFAs while Mahseer proved to have highest