Fatty Acid Composition of Gonads and Gametes in the Black Sea Bivalve Mollusk Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam. at Different Stages of Sexual Maturation

The fatty acid (FA) composition of eggs and sperm, as well as the gonadal FA dynamics, were studied for the first time in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam. (1819) at different stages of its sexual maturation. Currently, this species is being successfully cultivated in the Black Sea. As exemplified by 22 extracted and identified FAs having a chain length of 14–22 carbon atoms, the gonadal FA composition was shown to depend on the mollusk’s sexual maturation stage. An analysis of FA proportions demonstrated that saturated fatty acids (SFAs) account for 100% of the total FA content in female gonads at stages 1 to 3 and in male gonads at stages 1 and 5. The relative SFA content in eggs exceeds that in sperm. Mono- and polyunsaturated FAs (MUFA and PUFA) are characteristic both of male gonads and sperm in which their total content is higher than in female gonads and eggs. The FA content of the gonads and gametes in M. galloprovincialis follows the natural seasonal reproductive cycle of these bivalve mollusks.