title: Comparative Analysis of Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Composition of Commercially Important Fish and Shellfish from Sri Lanka and Japan.
abstract: Sri Lanka is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, allowing plenty of fishes to be caught. Moreover, these fishes represent one of the undocumented fish resources in the world and their detailed lipid profiles have not been previously examined. In this study, the lipid content and fatty acid composition of 50 commercially important fishes from the Indian Ocean (Sri Lanka) and the Pacific Ocean (Japan) were compared. The total lipid content and fatty acid composition, including eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, DHA), differed significantly among species. Fish from the Pacific Ocean had higher proportions of fatty acids, including EPA and DHA. Herrings and mackerels from both oceanic areas demonstrated high levels of EPA and DHA, and n-3/n-6 ratio. Brackish and freshwater fishes from both groups showed low levels of PUFAs. Fish from the Indian Ocean were high in n-6 fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acid levels were high in omnivorous fish from the Pacific Ocean, and saturated fatty acid levels were high in fish from the Indian Ocean. The results of this study will be of value in determining the dietary usefulness of fish caught in Sri Lanka.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Eastern University of Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Chandravathany
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Devadason
authors.forename: Chamila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jayasinghe
authors.forename: Ramiah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sivakanesan
authors.forename: Samanthika
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Senarath
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beppu
authors.forename: Naohiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gotoh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007564:Japan; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D012758:Shellfish / Q000032:analysis*; D013188:Sri Lanka
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids