Assessment of Fatty Acid Profiles and Proximate Composition of 10 Cambodian Farmed Freshwater Fish

Globally, aquaculture production has continued to rise, surpassing capture fisheries production for the first time, underscoring its pivotal role in meeting the growing global demand for aquatic foods. This growth emphasizes its significance in addressing food security and offering high-quality protein and necessary nutrients to growing population. Fish in Cambodia is a nutritional primary source, accounting for 75% of total animal protein intake, making it an indispensable part of national food security and nutrition initiatives. However, the threat of many factors, such as the increase of hydropower dams, water pollution, and illegal fishing, led to the reduction of inland fisheries. Consequently, aquaculture systems have rapidly emerged as an alternative source of food, nutrition, and livelihood. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the nutritional quality of commercialized farmed freshwater fish to provide more insight regarding nutritional information and scientific data. Ten different farmed freshwater fish species were analyzed for proximate composition, fatty acid profile, essential dietary elements, nutritional quality indices, and nutritional contribution to human health. The results revealed that moisture content varied from 63.37 ± 0.37 g/100 g to 79.98 ± 0.72 g/100 g, lipid content ranged from 1.60 ± 0.1 to 17.82 ± 0.04 g/100 g fish, protein content ranged from 16.08 to 21.91 g/100 g fish, and ash content varied from 0.51 ± 0.04 g/100 g to 2.49 ± 0.31 g/100 g. Saturated fatty acids were found at the highest value (40.4-56.3 g/100 g of total fatty acids), followed by polyunsaturated fatty acids (26.4-51.5 g/100 g of total fatty acids) and monounsaturated fatty acids (3.5-29.9 g/100 g of total fatty acids). In addition, the PUFA/SFA ratio varied from 0.5 to 1.34, and the ratio of n-6/n-3 ranged from 0.6 to 11.1. Furthermore, the AI and TI index values were calculated at values ranging from 0.5 to 1.13 and 0.39 to 1.24, respectively. The value of the h/H index in farmed fish species ranged from 0.63 to 1.76. The studied farmed fish species provide high content of calcium (43.6-8612 mg), potassium (1581.9-3723.2 mg), and phosphorus (1019.9-5890.1 mg). Moreover, a 90-g daily serving of walking catfish provides 9400 mg of EPA + DHA, covering 169% of the daily recommended intake for adults. The findings provided baseline data of fatty acid profiles for nutritional assessment, informed public health strategies, and supported the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector.