Six Northwest Atlantic Finfish Species as a Potential Fish Oil Source

Abstract

RESULTS & DISCUSSIONLipid, cholesterol, and fatty acid data were determined for six species of fish caught off the coast of Massachusetts on several sampling dates. The fattier fish (7 5% fat) had low calculated levels of cholesterol per gram of fat (2-14 mg/g). However, low levels of cholesterol in edible flesh (50 mg/lOOg) amounted to large amounts of cholesterol per gram fat (17-70 mg/g) for lean fish (~5% fat). Wide fluctuations in fat content of the fatty species were paralleled by changes in fatty acid composition. All species would yield about 35% 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) if the 20-carbon monoenes were removed.