Comparative Investigation of Fatty Acids in the Mauritania sardinella and Moroccan Sardine

Abstract

Aims: The present study was carried out to evaluate the quality and quantity of lipids and fatty acids in Mauritanian sardines (Sardinella aurita) and Moroccan sardines (Sardina pilchardus). Methods: Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses were adopted thereof. Results: the studied samples were found to be very rich in lipids: 17-26% for Mauritanian sardinella and 45-48% for Moroccan sardine. Thus, GC/MS analyses revealed that the fatty acids contents in both samples were subdivided into three essential groups: polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. The semi-quantitative analysis results, calculated using chromatographic peak areas, have shown that Moroccan sardine is very rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (mainly docosahexaenoic (DHA) and ecosapentaenoic (EPA) acids) and monounsaturated fatty acids (mainly oleic acid), compared to Mauritanian sardinella, who is very rich in monosaturated fatty acids (mainly palmitoleic acid). Conclusion: The lower valuable lipid content of sardinella was probably due to sampling conditions realized during the reproduction period. On the other hand, the omega-6/omega-3 ratio is higher in Mauritania sardinella than in Moroccan sardine.