Variations in the fatty acid composition and nutritional value of Adriatic sardine (Sardina pilchardus Walb.) through the fishing season

We investigated the chemical composition, in terms of water, protein, ash, total fat and fatty-acid composition, of sardine meat, and estimated its nutritional value. The samples originated from Adriatic sardines (Sardina pilchardus Walb.) that were collected in the north Adriatic Sea through the winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons. The content of 20 fatty acids was determined by in-situ transesterification and capillary column gas-liquid chromatography, using nonadecanoic acid (19:0) as internal standard. The mean contents of the sardine meat were: 70.8% water, 21.0% protein, 2.5% ash and 6.4% fat. For the fatty-acid composition, 18.0% were mono-unsaturated, 42.6% polyunsaturated and 39.8% saturated. The total-fat content increased through the year, from winter to autumn (0.69 to 18.15 g/100 g meat). The fatty-acid composition in the sardine meat varied significantly, with the levels of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (4.6 g/100 g meat), and especially eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, 0.98 g/100 g meat) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, 1.9 g/100 g meat), being the highest in autumn, before spawning. The n-6/n-3 ratio (0.13) and P/S ratio (7.6) show that sardine meat can and should be included in a balanced human diet. Considering the recommended daily intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is 0.45 g per day for a healthy population, this would be consumed as 10 g sardine meat collected in the autumn or 100 g sardine meat collected in the winter.