Nutritional value of several commercially important river fish species from the Czech Republic

Sarvenaz Khalili Tilami,Sabine Sampels,Jan Másílko,Tomáš Zajíc,Jakub Krejsa,Jan Mráz

doi:10.7717/peerj.5729

Abstract

Proximate and fatty acid (FA) composition of seven freshwater fish species from the Czech Republic were examined. Moreover, the index of atherogenicity (IA) and the index of thrombogenicity (IT) were calculated from the obtained data. These two indices along with the total content of the essential n-3 FAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as well as the ratio of n-6/n3 FAs, provide good indicators for the nutritional value of the fish. The species had been selected owing to the limited amount of information about their nutritional composition available. Furthermore, they are not typically subject to aquaculture, being almost exclusively obtained by angling. The protein content was relatively stable in all species (17.1 ± 1.55 to 19.2 ± 2.20 g/100 g). The content of carbohydrates ranged from 0.02 ± 0.1 to 0.99 ± 0.0 g/100 g and ash from 1.08 ± 0.20 to 2.54 ± 1.57 g/100 g. As expected, a high variability was observed in the fat content (0.74 ± 0.04 to 4.04 ± 0.81 g/100 g) and the FA composition, as well as the contents of EPA and DHA. IA and IT were close to the values stated for the Eskimo diet, indicating a high nutritional value with a positive effect for human health.

Highlights

The consumption of fish as well as fish products has significantly increased during the last two decades (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2016)
The main health benefits of fish are attributed to their high content of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) (n-3 LC-polyunsaturated FA (PUFA)) (Kris-Etherton et al, 2002; Lund, 2013; Khalili Tilami & Sampels, 2018)
After capture, the selected fish were killed by a blow to the head, weighted (Table 1) and transported on ice (0 C) to the processing facilities of the Institute of Aquaculture and Protection of Waters, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

Summary

Introduction

The consumption of fish as well as fish products has significantly increased during the last two decades (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2016). The popularity of fish is mainly due to the overall high quality and the positive effects on human health. The main health benefits of fish are attributed to their high content of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) (n-3 LC-PUFA) (Kris-Etherton et al, 2002; Lund, 2013; Khalili Tilami & Sampels, 2018). The most important n-3 LC-PUFA are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are known to have positive effects on the cardiovascular system as well as the nervous system of children in prenatal development, and to prevent the metabolic syndrome or obesity. Peptides and amino acids have gained increased attention with similar properties to the n-3 FAs from fish (Khalili Tilami & Sampels, 2018)

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