Seasonal Changes in Proximate Composition and Fatty Acid Profile of Pufferfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus Gmelin, 1789) from the Mediterranean Sea of Turkey

Abstract

This study represents a first report on the proximate composition and fatty acid profile of Lagocephalus sceleratus from the Mediterranean Sea as well as seasonal changes and sexual differences. Significant variations in the proximate composition were observed during the months of the study (p < 0.05). The highest moisture, fat, protein, and ash contents were found to be 78.47, 0.33, 21.62, and 1.63%, respectively. Total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid values were similar throughout the year despite individual variations of 24.2229.46 and 7.8713.94%, respectively. However, significant variations were observed in total polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as significant differences between sexes (p < 0.05) with some exceptions. The major fatty acid was found as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), between 24.17 and 32.65%. Due to the low fat content of this species, the highest eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + DHA values were calculated as 80.93 mg/100 g of edible muscle. The results indicated that this species contains high nutritional properties in terms of protein content and fatty acid values.