Marine and farmed fish in the Polish market: Comparison of the nutritional value

Abstract The proximate composition and fatty acids profiles of the muscle tissues of nine fish species that are popular on the Polish market were examined. The nine studied fish species were: Baltic fish (cod, herring, salmon), fish farmed in Poland (carp, trout), oceanic fish imported from China (walleye pollock, sole), and farmed fish imported from Vietnam and China (sutchi catfish, tilapia). The lowest lipid content (below 0.1%) was noted in the muscle tissues of Baltic cod and walleye pollock caught in the Pacific. The muscle tissue of walleye pollock also had the lowest protein content (12.2 ± 2.0%). The highest lipid content was noted in the muscle tissues of Baltic salmon (13.1 ± 2.4%). The highest percentage content of eicosapentaenoic (C20:5 n  − 3 – EPA) and docosahexaenoic (C22:6 n  − 3 – DHA) acids (over 40%) was noted in the fat extracted from the oceanic fish and Baltic cod. However, due to the low fat content, the concentrations of EPA + DHA in these fish species and in imported farmed fish expressed in mg/100 g of muscle tissues are the lowest and range on average from 24.8 ± 5.7 mg/100 g (sutchi catfish) to 207.4 ± 125.4 mg/100 g (sole). This is why the consumption of these fish species has no significant meaning for coronary heart disease prevention. Consumers with symptoms of cardiovascular diseases should include the following fish species, which have high concentrations of EPA + DHA: Baltic salmon (3807.2 ± 666.3 mg/100 g); Polish farmed trout (1804.0 ± 279.2 mg/100 g); and Baltic herring (940.9 ± 306.6 mg/100 g) in their diets. However, the consumption of Baltic salmon must be limited on account of the levels of persistent organic pollutants found in it.