Changes of fatty acid composition during the processing of fish

Since the 70's a special attention has been paid to fish oil for its beneficial nutritive effects [1]. Fish products are an important source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) especially n-3 (ω-3) fatty acids - eicosapentaenoic (20:5, n-3) and docosahexaenoic (22:6, n-3) acid which are believed to cause the lowering of the incidence of thrombosis and atherosclerosis [2]. Due to the chemical properties all PUFAs undergo oxidative changes yielding products without any positive nutrition effects. Therefore, the processed fish - preserved, marinated or smoked - differ in the n-3 PUFAs content from the fresh fish meat. The present work aims to compare the effect of smoking and marinating on the n-3 fatty acids content of mackerel meat.