Quantification of EPA and DHA in seafood of the south coast of Brazil

Abstract

Purpose

The increase in seafood trade in recent years motivates more detailed studies of different species, as well as evaluation of the nutritional quality of their lipid content. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the fatty acid composition, especially the concentrations and fractionation of omega‐3 essential fatty acid in classes of mussels (male and female), oysters, squid, and octopus captured on the south coast of Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

Fatty acid methyl esters were prepared by methylation of total lipids and were separated by gas chromatography. Quantification of LNA, AA, EPA, and DHA was done against tricosanoic acid methyl ester as an internal standard. Total lipids were fractionated into neutral lipids and polar lipids by classical column chromatography.

Findings

The results of this study were as follows: the female mussel had the highest lipid content (3.52 per cent), followed by the male mussel (2.70 per cent), squid (1.05 per cent), octopus (0.79 per cent), and oyster (0.62 per cent). The samples that had the highest percentages of EPA and DHA in their lipid fraction were the female mussel and squid, respectively. The species belonging to the Bivalvia class (mussels and oysters) showed a predominance of PL, while those belonging to the cephalopods class (octopus and squid), showed a predominance of NL. The n‐6/n‐3 and polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acids ratios of all samples analyzed were in accordance with the recommendations. The female mussel had the highest concentration of EPA+DHA omega‐3 fatty acids, corresponding to 1,064.63 mg EPA+DHA 100 g⁻¹ of the sample. So, the consumption of mussels caught off the southern coast of Brazil provides the omega‐3 essential fatty acids.

Originality/value

This paper provides important data concerning lipid quality of seafood caught off on the south coast of Brazil.

Citation

Bonafe, E., de Aguiar, A., Boroski, M., Monteiro, J., Souza, N., Matsushita, M. and Visentainer, J. (2011), "Quantification of EPA and DHA in seafood of the south coast of Brazil", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 41 No. 6, pp. 401-411. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346651111181958