Fatty acid composition of 32 species of low value fishes from Indian waters

Fatty acid composition of 32 species of low value fish, available along the Indian coast was studied. These fish in general are lean (lipid content in the range of 0.5-5%). However, as far as the content of nutritionally significant n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is concerned, the lipids of these species are comparable to those of common table fish. In general, 35-45% of the total fatty acids were accounted for, by saturated fatty acids in these species. 18-25% were monounsaturated and 25-40% polyunsaturated fatty acids. The proportion of total PUFA was more than 40% in 12 species. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was the major PUFA in all cases and in 11 species it accounted for more than 25% of the total fatty acids. The proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was more than 10% of the total fatty acids in only 4 species. These fish can serve as good and commercially viable sources of the pharmacologically important n-3 fatty acids. The relation between the fatty acid composition of fish, its habitat and food chain is also discussed.