Fatty Acid Composition of the Marine Catfish Arius arius Determined by GC-FID

Aim: The current study aims to analyse the fatty acid composition of the marine catfish Arius arius (Hamilton, 1822) from Thoothukudi coastal region. Methodology: Total lipids from muscle tissue have been extracted using Folch et al., (1957) process and purified. Purified sample was modified to fatty acid methyl esters and analysed using a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and a fused silica DB-23 capillary column. The fatty acids present in A. arius were determined via examining the retention times of standards. Results: The analysis showed the presence of a wide array of fatty acids, including saturated fatty acids (36.63%), monounsaturated fatty acids (21.54%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (19.64%) along with 23 unidentified peaks (17.71%). Major saturated fatty acids included palmitic (16.71%) and stearic acid (9.62%), whereas oleic (3.60%) and palmitoleic acids (6.70%) dominated the monounsaturated fatty acids. Notably, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 10.31%) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 6.51%) were detected in higher proportion. Conclusion: The analysis indicated considerable lipid diversity in A. arius. The detection of biologically important long-chain PUFAs, namely EPA and DHA, underscores the nutritional importance of A. arius. These results provide baseline information on A. arius and help in understanding its biochemical and nutritional characteristics.