Abstract
Muscle lipids and fatty acids (FA) of catfish Arius madagascariensis were determined in catfish caught in the Betsiboka River, Madagascar, during a 5-month sampling period. Total lipids from muscle were extracted and quantified. Fatty acids were identified by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of FA methyl esters and FA pyrrolidides, leading to the identification of 42 FA. Lipid content was relatively high in our fish sample and ranged from 4.3 to 6.6% of wet muscle. Three FA dominated the FA composition: palmitic acid (C16:0, 22.9-32.6%), oleic acid (C18:1n-9, 11.3-13.4%) and stearic acid (C18:0, 10.8-12.0%). A number of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) were present in ...