A study on fatty acid composition of fish oil from two marine fish, Eusphyra blochii and Carcharhinus bleekeri.

Two species of marine fish found in coastal waters of Karachi (Pakistan) were studied, Eusphyra blochii (Hammer-headed Shark) and Carcharhinus bleekeri (Shark) for their fatty acid composition. The isolation, identification and characterization of these fatty acids were carried out by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) and a combination of TLC-GLC technique. A large variation was observed between hammer-headed shark liver oil and shark liver oil. Twenty five individual fatty acids from the oil of marine fish were analyzed among those the palmitic acid was a major saturated fatty acid while stearic acid was the other major constituent. Among unsaturated fatty acids monoenoic e.g. oleic and palmitoleic acids were the major constituents and traces of dienoic and trienoic fatty acids were also found. In addition medicinally important polyunsaturated fatty, acid eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids were also identified.