Chemical compositions and fatty acid profiles of three freshwater fish species

This study investigated the chemical composition and fatty acid profiles of Cyprinus(C) carpio, Labeo(L) rohita and Oreochromis(O) mossambicus from the Indus River, Pakistan. Significant differences were observed for most chemical components and fatty acids (P < 0.01) in the examined fish species. O. mossambicus, C. carpio and L. rohita were high in saturated, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. Palmitic acid was the most abundant fatty acid in all species ranging from 32% to 46%. Although these fish contained reasonable amounts of essential PUFA such as docosahexaenoic, eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acids, L. rohita contained the highest amounts of PUFA and protein. These fish contained appreciable levels of Omega-6 PUFA suggesting that these fish especially L. rohita could be used as a source of healthy diet for humans. These findings may benefit the fishing industry, nutritionists and researchers who are striving to improve the nutritive value, processing and marketing of selected fish species.