Fatty acid profile in muscles of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) raised in a semi-intensive production system fed with grains, pelleted and extruded feed

The effects of grains, pelleted and extruded feed on the fatty acid content in carp meat has not been examined yet. In this work, we present evidence that the high carbohydrate content in all three types of feed causes oleic acid to predominate in all meat samples. A higher PUFA content in the meat of fish fed with granulated feed was detected. The extruded feed diet led to 69% greater n-3, and 53% lower n-6 fatty acid contents. Their ratio is thus 2.64-fold higher than in meat of carp fed with pelleted feed. A higher content of n-3 fatty acids in fish fed with extruded feed was the consequence of higher DHA (1.6 times) and EPA (3.3 times) contents. The detected differences could be the consequence of the thermal treatment of extruded feed that makes the proteins, carbohydrates and lipids more accessible to fish than in a pelleted feed.