Fatty Acid Concentration of Farmed Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Selected Sites in the Philippines

Background and objectives: Farm-raised tilapia contains very low levels of the beneficial very long-chain omega-3 fatty acid and very high levels of omega-6 fatty acid. Excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. Hence, the study determined the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content of farmed tilapia and the omega-6/omega-3 ratio. Methods: Samples of farmed tilapia were taken from four sites namely: Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Isabela. The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid levels in farmed tilapia and the omega-6/ omega-3 ratio were analyzed using gas chromatography. Results: Tilapia from Isabela has the highest amount of fatty acids for both omega-6 (1.2 mg/100g) and omega-3 (EPA 1.5 mg/100 g; DHA 61.8 mg/100 g) respectively. On the other hand, tilapia from Batangas has the lowest amount of total fatty acids with omega-6 of 0.70 mg/100 g and omega-3 of EPA 4.2 mg/100 g and DHA 2.2 mg/100 g. For all the samples from each site, omega-3 has a higher amount of fatty acid compared to its omega-6 fatty acid while the omega-6 and omega-3 ratio in all the four sites was less than 1:1. Conclusion: The omega-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) fatty acid concentration of farmed tilapia taken from Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Batangas has higher concentration than omega-6 and the ratio between the two fatty acids met the values for the recommended ratio.