Fatty Acids of 12 Marine Fish Species of the Bay of Bengal

Abstract Fatty acid composition of the body oils of 12 marine fish species of the Bay of Bengal was determined by gas–liquid chromatography. Two fishes from freshwater were also studied for comparison. Saturated fatty acids composed the largest proportion, ranging from 38 to 59% of total fatty acids in the marine and from 40 to 46% in the freshwater fish. The monoenes and the ω-3 polyunsaturates were close to each other in composing the second and the third largest fractions of the marine fish fatty acids, respectively. The monoenes ranged from 9.9 to 38% and ω-3 fatty acids ranged between 8.9 and 35%. The ω-3 fatty acids contributed much less, 7.0–12%, in the freshwater fish. The ω-6 polyunsaturates were the smallest group, composing 2.5–9.2% in both marine and freshwater fish. Of the saturates, 16:0 was the major fatty acid, followed by 18:0. C18:1 and 16:1 were the dominant monoenes. While 20:4 was the only major ω-6 fatty acid, 20:5 and 22:6 were prominent ω-3 fatty acids. In addition, another very long-chain fatty acid, likely 24:6, ω-3, was dominantly present in 7 of the 12 marine and none of the freshwater fish.