A comparative study of fatty acid profiles in Norwegian blue mussels, scallops, horse mussels and oysters

Fatty acids are an important part of our diet, and the focus of attaining enough ω-3 fatty acids is just getting stronger. The essential fatty acids are long and polyunsaturated e.g. eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and... [ view full abstract ]

Fatty acids are an important part of our diet, and the focus of attaining enough ω-3 fatty acids is just getting stronger. The essential fatty acids are long and polyunsaturated e.g. eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These fatty acids cannot be produced in humans and therefore have to be introduced through diet. EPA and DHA are known to be found in marine oils, and common sources are fat fish like salmon and trout. Different species of shellfish have also been found to contain these ω-3 fatty acids.

The fatty acid profiles of four species of Norwegian shellfish have been determined and compared. A comparative study has been done for profiles of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), scallops (Pecten maximus), northern horsemussels (Modiolus modiolus) and oysters (Crassostrea gigas). A comparison of two samples of different species from the same date and location have also been performed.

There are found four fatty acids that stand out as major contributors in the shellfish lipid profiles. These are C16:0, C16:1 cis 9, C20:5cis 5,8,11,14,17 and C22:6cis 4,7,10,13,16,19. Seven different ω-3 fatty acids were determined in the samples, among them are two of the four major contributing fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Differences between the species were also found, when the same food sources were available.