DIFFERENTIATION OF CULTURED AND WILD STURGEON (ACIPENSER OXYRINCHUS DESOTOI) BASED ON FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION

Sturgeon species have attracted interest for aquaculture due to high value of the flesh, caviar and wild stock depletion. Lipid was extracted from sturgeon muscle using the Bligh and Dyer procedure. Fatty acids from total lipid were methylated using boron-trifluoride in methanol. Fatty acid methyl esters were analyzed by gas chromatography as weight %. The fatty acid profiles of lipids were different between cultured and wild sturgeon. Wild sturgeon had higher levels of 16:0, 16:1 omega 7, 18:1 omega 9, 22: 4 omega 6 and 22:5 omega 6. Cultured fish had higher levels of 18:2 omega 6, C20 and C22 monoenes, 20:5 omega 3 and 22:6 omega 3. Stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA) was used to develop a mathematical model to distinguish the two populations; the levels of 16:2 omega 6, 22:5 omega 6 and phytanic acid accurately identified the two fish populations.