Ilhem Ketata Khitouni¹, Nourhène Boudhrioua Mihoubi², Abderrahmen Bouain¹, Faouzi Ben Rebah^3,

The present study investigated the seasonal variation of the chemical composition and fatty acid profiles of Annular sea bream Diplodus annularis from the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia). Moisture, protein, fat and ash contents of the fish muscle were examined as a function of season and sex. Protein, fat and ash average contents were 18.65, 6.47 and 2.20 g/100 g, respectively. The major fatty acids in D. annularis lipids were palmitic acid, oleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and myristic acid. Palmitic acid was the most abundant saturated fatty acid ranging from 26.38 to 32.79 % of the total fatty acids. Oleic acid was the main monounsaturated fatty acid ranging from 26.28 to 35.76 %. The high amounts of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in the investigated species are almost in agreement with other studies. Interestingly, omega-3 fatty acids were present at high level in spring (18.04 %). Moreover, the fish muscle contained appreciable concentrations of essential elements (Ca, K, Na and Mg). The present work suggests that this fish could be used as a source of healthy diet for humans.

fish chemical composition, fatty acids, fish muscle, diplodus annularis, coastal catch fish