Nutritional Composition and Fatty Acid Profile of Commercially Important Mullet Species in the Köyceğiz Lagoon

The present study is aimed to detect the nutritional composition and fatty acids profile of two different Mullet species caught from the/a fish barrier in Koycegiz Lagoon (Mugla, Turkey) over a period of 12 months. A nutritional composition (protein, lipid, moisture and ash) and fatty acids profile were carried out for each commercially important mullet species; Mugil cephalus and Chelon saliens using standard measurement methods and gas chromatography (GC), respectively. The nutritional composition of the species showed differences depending on the harvesting and spawning seasons. Two mullet species had the highest fat content (P<0.05) in spawning time, while moisture content was low (P<0.05) during the same period. Predominant fatty acids for two different mullet species were myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid as saturated (SFA); palmitoleic acid, oleic acid and cis-11-eicosenoic acid as monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs); linoleic, cis-8, 11, 14- eicosatrienoic, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The nutritional and fatty acid composition content of species varied due to the harvesting season, reproduction period and age of the fish. The results exhibited that mullet species during the reproductive period have higher lipid content and fatty acid composition, especially in terms of EPA and DHA.