Comparison of lipid contents and fatty acid profiles of freshwater fish from the Ataturk Dam Lake

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the lipid levels, fatty acid profiles (especially EPA and DHA which play an important role in the prevention of a wide variety disorders such as; coronary heart disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, breast and colon cancer, Alzheimer disease, inflammation and autoimmune disorders) and n-3/n-6 ratio of some freshwater fish in Atatürk Dam Lake. Methods: Samples of 12 fish species from the Atatürk Dam Lake (Turkey) were investigated for their fat content and fatty acid composition (Aspius vorax, Carasobarbus luteus, Carassius gibelio, Liza abu, Acanthobrama marmid, Barbus xanthopterus, Cyprinion macrostomum, Carassius auratus, Calcalburnus mossulensis, Capoeta trutta, Mastacembelus simack, Chondrostoma regium). Total lipids were extracted with 10 ml of chloroform-methanol (2/1v/v). Samples containing muscle lipid were transesterified with acidified methanol. The fatty acid methyl esters were extracted with hexane. Fatty acids were detected by gas chromatography (GC). Results: The lipid content of species ranged from 0.78% to 2.51%. The highest lipid content was found in female C. trutta (2.51%). The major SFAs were myristic acid (C14:0), palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0). Oleic acid (C18:1 n-9) and palmitoleic acid (C16:1 n-7) were the prominent MUFA. The dominant PUFAs were linoleic acid (LA, C18:2 n-6), linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 n-3), acid (AA, C20:4 n-6), eicoesapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n-3) and docoesahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3). The ratio of n-3/n-6 PUFAs ranged from 1.22 to 4.71. Conclusion: In this study, the fatty acid composition varied between different species In addition, the highest n-3/n-6 ratios were observed in female C. trutta, C. mossulensis, C. regium and A. vorax. Therefore, these species are economically important fish considering n-3 fatty acids and n-3/n-6 ratios