Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the relative nutritional benefit of edible Malaysian fishes from the coast of Terengganu in Malaysia, as well as to perform a taxonomical characterization and metal assessment. Discrimination between species was carried out by a morphological and molecular approach by evaluating the total concentrations of metals by ICP-MS analyses and the fatty acids (FA) composition using the GC–MS approach on the fish fillet tissues. The taxonomical studies detected fishes of 11 families and 13 species. The heavy metal assessment showed that all detected elements did not exceed the regulatory limit stated by Malaysian Food Regulations. The proportion of saturated fatty acids (SFA) ranged from 33 to 58.34%, followed by the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) values from 24 to 51.8%, and the lowest proportion was of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), ranging from 12.7 to 35.9%. The ω-3/ω-6 PUFA and PUFA/SFA ratios were determined in the range 1.1 to 7.4 and 0.35 to 1.6, respectively. The C20:5 ω-3 and C22:6 ω-3 acids were detected at levels comparable to those found in the corresponding species from similar tropical marine ecosystems. The high FA values can be useful biochemical tools for comparing the relative nutritional benefits of these biodiverse and non-toxic edible Malaysian fishes.
Highlights
Malaysia is home to great marine biodiversity from the coastal area of the Malay peninsula extending to its islands and out to the sea
The wide range of fishes corresponding to different ecological niches favors the Malay fishing industry, regardless of whether it is for local food consumption or trade [1]
The results for the heavy metal content in the fish species in this study showed a low risk related to the accumulation of toxic elements, as has already been demonstrated in other aquatic organisms in Malaysia [56], in particular in Kuala Terengganu [57,58]
Summary
Malaysia is home to great marine biodiversity from the coastal area of the Malay peninsula extending to its islands and out to the sea. The wide range of fishes corresponding to different ecological niches favors the Malay fishing industry, regardless of whether it is for local food consumption or trade [1]. Accurate species identification and toxicity assessment are fundamental when referring to edible fishes. The levels of lipids in fish can change in relation to the redox state [6] and metal-influenced lipid peroxidation [7,8]. It is known that heavy metals could influence the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through different metal-mediated mechanisms, and free radical generation may affect the function of a great number of receptors and biomolecules [9,10]. Oxidative stress interferes with the organoleptic and health quality of foods [13,14,15]
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