FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF EDIBLE MARINE FISH OILS

The body oils of 13 species of marine edible fishes found around the Karachi-Makran coast were studied by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) for their fatty acid composition. The analyses showed the presence of fatty acids with chain lengths from 10 to 24 carbon atoms and with zero to six double bonds. The oils were found to be rich in polyunsaturated acids, particularly the penta- and hexaenoic. Certain major fatty acids were found to vary widely among the species: myristic acid 2.3 to 13.7%; palmitic 11.6 to 41.2%; stearich 7.2 to 23.2%; oleic 6.9 to 29.6%; eicosapentaenoic 1.4 to 19.0%; docosapentaenoic zero to 10.2%; and docosahexaenoic zero to 36.4%. The linoleic and linolenic acids were present in small amounts in some of the fish oils, and arachidonic acid was present in all of them. © 1968 The American Oil Chemists' Society.