Bioavailability of Docosahexaenoic (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) Acids in the Oil Extracted from <i>Pellonula</i> <i>leonensis</i> from the Congo River and Nianga Lake

Abstract

The objective of this work is to characterize and determine the fatty acid composition of <i>Pellonula</i> <i>leonensis</i> oil from the Congo River and Nianga Lake, in order to determine the bioavailability of docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids. <i>Pellonula</i> <i>leonensis</i> fish were caught in the Congo River in southern Congo–Brazzaville in the localities of Kombé (Brazzaville) and Boko (Pool department) and in Nianga Lake (Pointe-Noire). The oil is extracted from the fish by the Soxhlet method using hexane as solvent. The fat content found is around 32% for all six samples from the Congo River (3 samples of kombe and 3 samples of Boko) and around 22% for the three samples from Nianga Lake. All samples have similar fatty acid profiles. These oils are characterized by the presence of palmitic acid C16:0, 27 to 28%; oleic acid: C18:1 cis, 23 to 24%; stearic acid: C18:0, 8 to 9%; palmitoleic acid: C16:1, about 6%; linoleic acid: C18:2 cis, about 5%; eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): C20: 5 (n-3), 2-3%; arachidonic: C20:4 (n-6), 2-3%; margaric: C17:0, about 2%; myristic: C14:0, about 2%; linolenic: C18:3 (n-3), about 2%; docosahexaenoic (DHA): C22:6 (n-3), about 2%; docosapentaenoic (DPA): C22:5 (n-3), about 1%. The ratio of PUFAs to SFAs was approximately 0.50. Principal component analysis showed that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content is anti-correlated with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content. <i>Pellonula</i> <i>leonensis</i> oils from the river, especially those from Boko, have the highest EPA content, whereas the oils from the lake have the highest DHA content. However, the presence of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the oils of <I>P.</I> <i>leonensis</i>, although low, proves its nutritional value in terms of lipids.