Fatty acid and squalene compositions of Mediterranean Centrophorus SPP egg and liver oils in relation to age.

The liver oil content of seven Mediterranean Centrophorus spp. were studied together with the oil of one unfertilized egg and one yolk bag. The relative weight of the liver ranges from 15 to 29% of total body weight; 63 to 89% of the liver weight is oil. Squalene, the major component (49-89% in oil) of the unsaponifiable fraction, is directly quantified by GLC following TLC separation. The squalene level increases with the age of the animals. More than 50 fatty acid species were identified. Among them, the most abundant are: 16:0 (22-27%), 18:1 omega 9 (21-36%) and 22:6 omega 3 (2-18%). The level of omega 3-fatty acids, essential in the fishes, shows a maximum in the egg (26%), decreases to a minimum in the young (5%) and stabilizes to an intermediate level in the adult (12%).