Mineral Accessibility of Small Indegenous Fishes of Manipur, North-East India

The Small Indigenous Fishes (SIFs) available in the wild habitat are preferred for consumption. Fish, a high-protein and low-fat food, provides various health benefits. The present study highlights the analysis of macro and micro elements of the indigenous fish species Pangio pangia (nganap achouba),Lepidocephalichthys irrorata(nganap macha), and Lepidocephalichthys berdmorei( ngakijou)using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The results of the present study revealed that the macro elements, namely Ca, Na, Mg, P, and K, and microelements, such as Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn, were detected in varying concentrations. The macro element viz, Mg (83.80 ±0.52mg/100g), P (756.00 ± 0.88 mg/100gm), and microelement Fe(8.70 ±0.68 mg/100gm), Cu (0.97±0.38 mg/100g) were found significantly higher (p<0.05) in Pangio pangia. On the other hand, Na (158.10 ±0.63mg/100g) and K(85.70 ± 0.46 mg/100g) were significantly higher(p<0.05) in Lepidocephalichthys berdmorei among the fish studied. Ca (1725.00 ±0.38mg/100g) content was recorded as significantly higher (P<0.05) than other macro elements and found highest in Lepidocephalichthys irrorata. From the above analysis, it has been observed that all the fishes were good sources of minerals. This elemental profile study will impact the future study of their roles in cellular metabolism, growth, and development in addition to their nutritive, detoxification, immune functions, and antioxidant activity.