Effect of seasons on fatty acid composition and n-3/n-6 ratios of muscle lipids of some fish species in Apa Dam Lake, Turkey

This study was designed to determinate the effect of hot and cold seasons on fatty acid composition and n-3/n-6 ratios of Cyprinus carpio, Sander lucioperca, Carassius gibelio and Leuciscus lepidus dorsal muscle lipids in Apa Dam Lake, Turkey by gas chromatographic method. Major saturated fatty acid (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were palmitic acid, oleic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in L. lepidus, C. gibelio and S. lucioperca, respectively. The total PUFA percentage was higher than the total SFA and MUFA percentages in all species except for C. gibelio and C. carpio in summer. The total amount of n-3 fatty acids was higher than that of n-6 fatty acids in all species. The highest percentage of total n-3 fatty acids among these species was observed in S. lucioperca in winter. Especially, the ratio of n-3/n-6 PUFAs with nutritional importance for human health was 3.19 in winter in S. lucioperca. Additionally, the fatty acid composition of these fish species was affected by seasonal differences at statistical significance level (p<0.05) with regard to some fatty acids. Copyright 2013 Zoological Society of Pakistan.