QUALITY OF NUTRITIONAL LIPIDS OF MYTILUS GALLOPROVINCIALIS FROM THE BLACK SEA

Over the past few decades the interest in marine mussels as popular seafood has increased rapidly. Marine mollusks are valuable healthy food, low in calories and fats and high in proteins. Among the three major groups of mussel primary metabolites, lipids have shown the highest potential for developing functional foods or dietary supplements with beneficial effects on health. Mussel lipids are a good source of omega-3 (n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) and have shown to contain other minor lipid components with their own beneficial effects on human health. Black mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) is one of the most commercially important species from the Bulgarian Black Sea waters. Farmed Mytilus galloprovincialis are considered to be a sustainable source of LC-PUFA as they require no dietary inputs, gaining nutritional lipids by filter-feeding sea water.The present study was conducted to investigate biologically active substances in lipid extracts of farmed Mytilus galloprovincialis from the Black Sea. Total lipids, phospholipids, fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids were analyzed.Mussel lipid extracts and fractions are obtained by solvent extraction and are purified by chromatographic separation. The saponifiable lipid fraction was derivatized into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify and quantify the fatty acids. The fat soluble non-saponifiable lipids were identified by high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with UV/Vis and fluorescence detectors (HPLC-UV-FL).The study revealed that farmed Mytilus galloprovincialis from the Black Sea is a good natural source of high quality nutritional lipids to be part of a proper or preventive diet. Moreover, black mussels show high potential for developing functional foods and/or dietary supplements with beneficial effects.Acknowledgements: Bulgarian National Research Fund support, Project DM 09/2 from 15/12/201