Macro minerals, micro minerals, heavy metal, fat, and fatty acid profiles of European hake (Merluccius merluccius Linnaeus, 1758) caught by gillnet

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate macro minerals (Mg, Na, P, Ca), micro minerals (Zn, Cu, Fe), heavy metal (Pb) crude lipid level, and fatty acid profiles of European hake (Merluccius merluccius Linnaeus, 1758) caught by gillnet in March in 2013 in the northeastern Mediterranean. The levels of the micro minerals were calculated in the shown order; Fe>Zn>Cu for European hake. The average crude lipid level of European hake was calculated to be lower than 1.3%. Additionally, the levels of the saturated fatty acids (SFA) in lipid of the European hake were calculated to be lower than 30%. In addition, the sum of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) levels were calculated to be 58.95%. Moreover, the average levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n3), noble omega-3 fatty acid, in lipid of the European hake were found to be 26.48% and 4.93% respectively.