A comparison of highly unsaturated fatty acid levels in wild and farmed eels (Anguilla anguilla).

1. Absolute and relative amounts of eicosapentaneoic acid (EPA) and docohexaenoic acid (DHA) in muscle of eels from four different fish farms were compared with samples from wild eels from two different areas of northern Italy. 2. Farmed eels were richer in DHA and EPA than wild animals. 3. The addition of cod liver oil to the diet of farmed eels led to a significant accumulation of EPA and DHA, but no change in total lipid content. 4. The calculation of two indices related to highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) content (FLQ = fish lipid quality; AI = aterogenic index), indicated the higher nutritional value of farmed vs wild fish. 5. We conclude that farmed eels are an adequate source of fish products for human nutrition and propose use of the above-mentioned indices as an effective means for assessing fish nutritional quality for populations at high risk of chronic degenerative disease.