Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Profile of Muscle, Brain and Eyes of Seven Freshwater Fish: a Comparative Study

The fatty acid and lipid content of the eyes, brain and muscle were determined for the following seven freshwater fish species in China: black carp, grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, common carp, crucian carp, and Wuchang bream. Lipid contents of all seven freshwater fish were in the order of brain > eyes > muscle. Most of the freshwater fish demonstrated much lower n-3 PUFA than n-6 PUFA in all tissues with n-3/n-6 ratios varying between 0.07 and 0.40, while silver carp and bighead carp had much higher n-3 PUFA than n-6 PUFA. The percentage of PUFA in the muscle of all species are the highest compared to those of the eyes and brain, while no significant difference was observed in PUFA concentration between eyes and brain (p > 0.05). Multivariable analyses indicate that the fatty acid composition of the filter-feeder fish (silver carp and bighead carp) was distinct from the other four species.