FATTY ACID COMPOSITIONS OF TILAPIA FILLETS, Oreochromis SPP., AVAILABLE IN LOCAL US SUPERMARKETS AND THEIR IMPACT ON CURRENT TILAPIA MARKET TRENDS

Tilapia aquaculture is one of fastest growing segments within the finfish industry worldwide. Tilapia is currently the second most aquacultured finfish and third most aquacultured fish product. Popularity of tilapia production is a result of its ease of culture, adaptability of fish to various culturing conditions, and simple dietary requirements. Many researchers have observed the impact of diet on the nutritional composition of fish fillets, and tilapia fillets' quality strongly reflects its diet. Tilapia have been criticized for having fatty acid compositions that are "worse than bacon". The goal of this work was to characterize the fatty acid compositions in tilapia fillets in local markets.

Replicate samples of tilapia products were collected from local supermarkets in Montgomery County, Virginia. The evaluated tilapia samples include fillet and whole fish, were either frozen or fresh, and reportedly originated from different countries. Information collected included reported country of origin, storage conditions, certification, and packaging type. Total lipid extractions were conducted using a modified Bligh and Dyer extraction. GC/MS was used to analyze the fatty acids using adapted AOCS internal standard methodology. Fatty acid compositions were compared using ANOVA.

The fatty acid profiles in the tilapia fillets differed markedly. For example, the total lipid content varied from 1.01 to 3.83% w/w, and the n-6/n-3 ratios ranged from 0.57 to 3.46. Because tilapia fillet quality depends on its feed, tilapia have potential to have higher nutritional value with diet manipulation; this could improve tilapia's image as a nutritionally beneficial product to consumers.