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Are fish what they eat? A fatty acid's perspective
Houguo Xu1, Giovanni M Turchini2, David S Francis2
1Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266071, China.
Progress in Lipid Research
|October 3, 2020
Summary
Farmed fish fatty acid (FA) profiles reflect their diet, but the extent of this incorporation varies by fish species, FA type, and environment. This review analyzes the diet-fish FA relationship to understand farmed fish quality.
Area of Science:
- Aquaculture Nutrition
- Fish Biology
- Nutritional Biochemistry
Background:
- Fish are a primary dietary source of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) for humans.
- The fatty acid (FA) composition of farmed fish generally mirrors their diet, but significant variations exist.
- Understanding the fidelity of dietary FA incorporation into fish tissues is crucial for nutritional quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively review the relationship between dietary and fish tissue fatty acid (FA) composition.
- To explore variations in this 'diet-fish' FA relationship across species, tissues, and individual FAs.
- To assess the impact of environmental and experimental factors on FA incorporation in farmed fish.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis of 290 articles published between 1998 and 2018 was conducted.
- Dietary and fish tissue FA profiles were quantitatively compared.
- The influence of fish species, tissue type, environmental factors (temperature, salinity), and experimental conditions were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Significant variations in dietary FA incorporation into fish tissues were observed.
- Fish species, FA type, environmental conditions, and feeding strategies influence the diet-fish FA relationship.
- A fish oil finishing strategy can help restore LC-PUFA levels after alternative lipid feeding.
Conclusions:
- The 'are fish what they eat?' question is complex, with considerable variability in FA transfer.
- Understanding FA dynamics is essential for optimizing farmed fish nutritional quality and fillet composition.
- This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the FA relationship in farmed fish, aiding aquaculture management.
Keywords:
AquacultureFarmed fishFatty acid compositionFillet qualityOmega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acidsSeafoodMore Related Videos
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