Lipid Profile and Fatty Acid Composition in Eggs of Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Abstract

The lipid class and fatty acid composition in eggs of Indian fresh water common carp Cyprinus carpio (Var. Cummunis Linnaeus) have been studied. The mean wet weight of mature eggs are 4.1% of total weight of fish, of which 9.8% (on dry basis) is lipid. The major portion of the lipid is phospholipid (PL), about 64.3%, of which phosphatidylcholine (PC) is predominant. The fatty acid composition of the total lipid, triacylglycerol (TAG) and phospholipids are observed. Palmitic acid (16:0) is the most abundant saturated fatty acids present in the total lipid (24.2%), TAG (33.2%) and PL (27.4%) fractions. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are more accumulated in the PL fraction than in the TAG. Arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6, AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3, DHA) in the PL fraction are 13.0% and 15.2% and in TAG fraction 0.6% and 1.0%, respectively. The results of the study indicate that C. carpio eggs are rich in PUFAs which are very much essential in terms of fertilization success and larval development. © 2003, Japan Oil Chemists' Society. All rights reserved.