Identification of Fatty Acid Profile of Clariid Catfish Species: Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822), Clarias macrocephalus (Gunther, 1864) and their Hybrids

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the fatty acids profile of the commercial importance fish species. The fish species include the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), Asian catfish (Clarias macrocephalus) and hybrid C. macrocephalus X C. gariepinus (CMxCG). The fatty acid profiles of fishes were performed using a liquid gas chromatographic examination of methyl esters. The overall mean of saturated fatty acid (SFA) composition was significantly higher (p<0.05) in C. macrocephalus (48.21 ± 5.11) as compared C. gariepinus (32.15 ± 1.23) and hybrid CMxCG (37.70±0.35). Total monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFAs) composition of C. macrocephalus, C. gariepinus, and hybrid CMxCG was 32.14 ± 5.86, 45.24 ± 3.21, and 30.89 ±0.80, respectively, where palmitoleic (C16:1) and oleic (C18: 1n-9) acids were the dominating MUFAs. The highest levels of Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (C22:6n-3) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (C22:5n-3) were observed in hybrid CMxCG (2.42 ± 0.40; 2.02 ± 0.09), respectively, as compared to both parent fish. In terms of essential fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, n-6 PUFA, n-3 PUFA, hybrid CMxCG outperformed C. macrocephalus and C. gariepinus, indicating that it would lead to a better source of diet for humans.