Interannual and Seasonal Dynamics in Lipidic Signatures of Trichiurus lepturus

Interannual and seasonal (premonsoon, monsoon, and postmonsoon) variability in the lipid, fatty acids, and total cholesterol content of ribbon fish, Trichiurus lepturus were determined for a period of 4 years (2008–2011) along the southwest (SW) and southeast (SE) coasts of India. The lipidic compositions were studied along with chlorophyll-a concentration and sea surface temperature (SST) data obtained from MODIS and Sea WiFS. The lipid content shows seasonal fluctuations with higher values in the postmonsoon season along the SE coast and during the monsoon in the SW coast. Among polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dominated over eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) throughout the seasons except in winter on the SE coast. The health indices such as atherogenic/thrombogenicity indices, total cholesterol, and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio of ribbon fish were found to be ideal, which contributed toward its parameters to be qualified as a potential health food