SIMCA principal component analysis of fatty acid patterns in Day-1 and Day-8 cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) eggs

Single cod [Gadus Morhua (L.)] and haddock [Melanogrammus aeglefinus (L.)] eggs from the first day and the eighth day after fertilization were acid hydrolised. Fatty acids were liberated and derivatized to methyl esters in a one-step reaction. The non-polar hexane extract was analysed by High Resolution Gas Chromatography (HRGC). Selected peaks, occuring in both types of samples and in all chromatograms, were used to create a matrix for multivariate analysis. HRGC and Mass Spectrometry have been used to identify the fatty acids. The approach is shown to be useful in distinguishing between cod and haddock eggs at both stages and information regarding changes in the fatty acid distributions are obtained. Implications on future possibilities within chemosystematics are discussed.