A partial characterization (proximate, amino acid and fatty acid compositions, electrophoresis, a w and color) of loricariid catfish (Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus, Weber, 1991) roe, an invasive species of dams and rivers worldwide, was carried out and evaluated as a possible food resource. Mature roe showed high protein and lipid concentrations (26.0 ± 1.5 and 8.2 ± 0.7, respectively), low a w (0.89), and a yellow to orange color (hue angle of 68.90 ± 8.5° and chroma of 32.0 ± 0.2). Roe showed that essential amino acids (EAA) prevailed over non-essential (NEAA) (EAA/NEAA ratios of 1.4 and 1.6 for total and free amino acids, respectively) and low ω6/ω3 balance (0.98). Due to its characteristics, loricarid catfish roe can be used as a raw material for caviar-type products.

Recent research has shown the feasibility of using loricariid catfish muscle, either fresh (Marquez-Rios et al., 2016) or as a raw material for gel-type products (unpublished data) intended for human consumption. However, due to the relatively high total fecundity of the species, going from 2000 to 2500 eggs per left gonad (with a maximum capacity of 6,686 eggs) in the summer months (Rueda-Jasso et al., 2013), and its gonad proportion (representing around 30% of the fish weight). It is well recognized that fish roe is a nutritionally rich source, usually thrown away by the fish processors. In this regard, the loricariid catfish roe could also be used as a good source of nutrients since it possesses