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The goal of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and the fatty acid profile of mantle and tentacle of male and female Sepia officinalis, sampled at four seasons from the Mediterranean sea of Tunisia. S. officinalis were found to be rich in glycogen, protein and oil, and significant differences were observed between samples. The level of saturated fatty acid and unsaturated fatty acid showed significant variability among sex and during seasons. DHA and EPA, as polyunsaturated fatty acids, were the most abundant in all samples (14.8-27.8 % and 10.4-18.3 %, respectively). Oleic acid was the most abundant monounsaturated fatty acids (1.63-4.52 %). Σn3 and Σn6 was remarkably different between seasons and among sex. This study could be suitable for the development of reliable guide of fatty acid accumulation in cephalopod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of season and sex on the fatty acids (FAs) and proximate compositions of the mantle of the mature common cuttlefish were evaluated. The results of the proximate composition showed that the lowest lipid content was obtained from females in winter (0.74%), whereas the highest level of lipid was found in males in autumn (0.94%; p < 0.05). The protein levels of the mantle of the mature male of common cuttlefish were significantly higher ( p < 0.05) than those found in female specimens. The FA compositions of each sex for all seasons ranged from 29.4% to 32.5% saturated FAs, 8.7-11.1% monounsaturated FAs and 48.2-54.6% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The proportions of n-3 PUFAs (44.0-50.6%) were higher than n-6 PUFAs (3.4-4.3%) regardless of sex and seasons. The levels of eicosapentaenoic acid in the mature common cuttlefish mantle in spring, autumn and winter were 15.9-17.8%, 16.3-17.2% and 15.7-16.8% while those of docosahexaenoic acid were 32.5-33.0%, 27.5-29.0% and 28.7-31.1%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish is the best source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), specifically n-3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. The objective of the present study was to determine the fat content and fatty acid compositions of 34 marine water fish species from the Mediterranean Sea. The fatty acid compositions of fish consisted of 30.10-46.88% saturated fatty acids, 11.83-38.17% monounsaturated fatty acids and 20.49-49.31% PUFA. In most species, the following fatty acids were identified: mystiric acid (C14:0, 0.72-8.09%), pentadecanoic acid (15:0, 0.05-2.35%), palmitic acid (C16:0, 15.97-31.04%), palmitoleic acid (C16:1, 1.48-19.61%), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0, 0.31-1.84%), cis-10-heptadecenoic acid (C17:1, 0.17-2.01%), stearic acid (C18:0, 2.79-11.20%), oleic acid (C18:1n9, 2.44-28.97%), linoleic acid (C18:2n-6, 0.06-3.48%), arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6, 0.12-10.72%), cis-5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3, 1.94-10%) and cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, 3.31-31.03%). The proportions of n-3 PUFA ranged from 12.66% for annular seabream to 36.54% for European hake, whereas the proportions of PUFA n-6 were between 1.24% for oceanic puffer and 12.76% for flathead mullet. The results of this study show that these fish species were rich in n-3 PUFA, especially, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]