Fatty Acid Content Of The Smoked, Fresh-Water Fish <i>Clairas Gariepinus</i> (<i>Wanka Harwada</i>, Hausa) In Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Since the healthful n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are underrepresented in the diets of many people who live in the hot semi-arid regions of West Africa, we were interested in knowing the fatty acid content and composition of the oil of Clairas gariepinus (wanka harwada, Hausa), a dried, fresh-water fish that is consumed widely in northern Nigeria. Dried C. gariepinus, purchased in the central market in Jos, Nigeria was divided into the head, mid-section, and tail sections, vacuum-dried to constant weight, and extracted with chloroform-methanol to provide the lipid fraction. After methylation of the lipid fraction, the individual fatty acid methyl esters were separated and quantified by gas-liquid chromatography. The fatty acid content and fatty acid composition of each of the three sections of the fish were very similar. Overall, fatty acids accounted for 9.43-11.5% of the true dry weight of C. gariepinus. The amounts of EPA and DHA were relatively low, 1.14 and 3.78 mg/g dry weight, respectively. The arachidonic acid, linoleic acid and α-linoleic acid contents were 4.52, 9.00, and 3.76 mg/g dry weight, respectively. Compared to marine fish such as salmon and herring that are rich sources of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, C. gariepinus appears to be unsuitable as a source of healthful quantities of EPA or DHA.

Highland Medical Research Journal Vol.2(1) 2004: 8-13