Enhancement of the nutritional status of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) croquettes by adding flaxseed flour

Although its high protein quality, Nile tilapia mince is low in essential fatty acids. This research evaluated the effect of the addition of flaxseed flour to sensory acceptance and nutritional status of Nile tilapia croquettes. The basic formulation of tilapia croquette was enriched with different contents of flaxseed flour, and a ranking preference test was used to determine which formulation did not differ from the basic product. Proximate and fatty acids compositions and nutritional quality indices of lipids of raw and deep fat fried formulations were determined. The ranking preference test indicated that the limit of addition of flaxseed flour is 12.5 g 100 g−1. In addition to the enhanced content of omega-3, the enriched formulation showed a lower loss of this substance during frying and better indices of nutritional quality of lipid than the basic product. The enrichment of croquettes with flaxseed flour significantly improved the nutritional value, even though they had been subjected to deep fat frying.