FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF 35 ICELANDIC FISH SPECIES

Fat content and fatty acid composition were determined in 35 fish species caught in Icelandic waters from November 1987 to March 1988. These were not only commonly edible species, but also underutilized and less common species, in which the fatty acid composition have not been reported before. The variation in the fat content and the fatty acid composition was found to be large between and within species. The fat content and n-3 fatty acid content varies sevenfold and twentyfold, respectively. An inverse relationship was obtained between the n-3 fatty acids content and the total fat content of the fish species studied. We believe that the data reported here on 35 fish species can be useful for nutritionists and food scientists, to aid them in dietary formulation, nutrient labelling, processing and product developments, as well as for the consumers.