The Fatty Acid Profiles in the Muscle Tissues of Four Benthic Fish Species from Northeastern Mediterranean Sea of Turkey

The total fat contents and the fatty acid compositions in muscle tissue of four benthic marine fish species namely Merluccius merluccius, Lophius budegassa, Helicolenus dactylopterus, and Chlorophthalmus agassizi collected from the Mediterranean Sea of Turkey were determined. The results show that these species were particularly rich in protein while they were poor in fat as well. The highest crude protein value was observed in C. agassizi (22.34%) while the lowest was observed in L. budegassa (20.21%). The fat content was identified to differ between 0.44-0.82% and the highest value was observed in H. dactylopterus while the lowest in L. budegassa. Major saturated fatty acid (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were palmitic acid, oleic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) followed by EPA in four species respectively. In conclusion, these species are desirable item for the human diet.