Chemical and Fatty Acid Characterization of the Penja Fish (Sicyopterus parvei) Oil in Budong-Budong River Estuary, West Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

The Penja, Sicyopterus parvei, is an endemic fish species in the Budong-Budong River, Central Mamuju, West Java, Indonesia. This species has a high nutritional content for human health. However, there is no research regarding the characterization of penja fish. This study aimed to determine the chemical quality and characteristics of the penja fish oil (Sicyopterus parvei) from the Budong-Budong River Estuary. Penja fish samples were extracted with 96% ethanol, purified and bleached with 3% bentonite. The yield and chemical characteristics of penja fish oil, including acid number, free fatty acid number, anisidine and peroxide value were determined. The characteristics of penja fish fatty acid were assessed using GCMS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry). All chemical characteristics of penja fish crude oil were higher than penja fish pure oil, including oil yield (8.55% vs 2.83%), acid number (50.75% vs 19.40%), free fatty acids (19.35% vs 9.56%), peroxide value (8.51 vs 2.58 meq/kg), anisidin value (4.14 vs 2.38 meq/kg) and total oxidation (20.95 vs 7.38 meq/kg). The fatty acid of penja fish recorded 10.62% PUFA, 19.03% MUFA and 35.3% SFA. Besides, penja fish contain omega 3, viz., DHA and EPA. The quality of the penja fish oil after purification was better than that before purification. Free fatty acids did not meet either the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) nor the International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS), while the peroxide value, anisidin number and total oxidation met both standards.