Haem and non-haem Fe compounds characterization in raw marine fish procured from east coast of Peninsular Malaysia

Fish has a significant contribution to the Malaysian population’s livelihood, job, and food security. Malaysians depend on fish and fish products as their primary source of animal protein, and the country has been reported with the highest consumption of fish and fish products in Southeast Asia. Several factors influence the total Fe content, haem and non-haem Fe compartment in fish and other marine foods. However, related iron compound composition data in Malaysian foods was scarce, thus this study was carried out to quantified the total Fe, haem and non-haem Fe in selected fish types commonly consumed in the East coast Peninsular Malaysia. The total Fe contents of eleven types of fish were analysed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS), while the content of haem and non-haem Fe compounds were quantified using standard procedure adapted from previous study. The total Fe contents ranged from 400 to 2300 ug per 100 grams of samples. The proportion of haem Fe in all fish types is in the range of 80.0 to 99.4 percent. Haem Fe was recorded highest in Megalaspis cordyla (2200 ± 0.008 ug/100g) and Thunnus tonggol (2000 ± 0.000 ug/100 g), followed by Euthynnus affinis (1100 ± 0.007 ug/100g). All three are known for their dark myoglobin characteristic. These fish types are highly potential for the development of bioavailable Fe-rich ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF) specifically tailored for Fe deficient target groups. Further research on these fish types is crucial to determine the effect of heat treatment (cooking) and food processing on the retention, stability, and Fe bioavailability.