Muscle Fatty Acid Content in Selected Freshwater Fish from Bukit Merah Reservoir, Perak, Malaysia - Annette Jaya-Ram; Farhana Fuad; Mohd. Shafiq Zakeyuddin; Amir Shah Ruddin Md. Sah (Tropical Life Sciences Research, 2018)
One of the oldest reservoirs in Peninsular Malaysia, Bukit Merah Reservoir, is a place in which locals participate in fishing activities. Inland fisheries are important to individuals, society and the environment; whereby they generate a source of income and food security. It is essential to gauge the nutrition value of fish caught in this location as food source, especially in terms of fatty acid composition, to better demonstrate its potential towards the betterment of human health and general well-being. From an initial list of 47 fish species available in Bukit Merah Reservoir, a total of seven edible freshwater fish species were identified, namely tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii), Javanese barb (Barbonymus gonionotus), hampala barb (Hampala macrolepidota), beardless barb (Cyclocheilichthys apogon), glassfish (Oxygaster anomalura), striped snakehead (Channa striata) and horseface loach (Acantopsis dialuzona), and muscle fatty acid content was analysed to determine their nutritional value. Muscle of cyprinid fish contained substantial amount of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) compared to fish from Channidae and Cobitidae families. Javanese and tinfoil barbs muscle recorded the highest levels of combined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) indicating the highest nutritional value comparatively. Unexpectedly, the striped snakehead, a predatory carnivore, contained lower levels of LC-PUFA compared to detrivorous/ herbivorous fishes. This further justifies that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content in fish muscle varies according to their feeding habits. Even though it has been recommended that marine fish be consumed to improve health to a certain extent, there still are benefits of consuming freshwater fish, as there are several species which contain considerable amounts of beneficial omega-3 PUFA. Reservoir Bukit Merah ialah salah satu takungan air yang tertua di Semenanjung Malaysia dan menjadi lokasi masyarakat tempatan menjalankan kegiatan penangkapan ikan. Aktiviti perikanan daratan penting bagi individu, masyarakat dan juga persekitaran kerana kegiatan ini dapat menjana sumber pendapatan dan memberi jaminan makanan. Nilai nutrisi ikan yang ditangkap di lokasi ini, terutamanya kandungan asid lemak, penting untuk diketahui, agar potensi terhadap peningkatan kesihatan manusia secara am dapat didemonstrasikan. Daripada senarai asal yang mengandungi 47 spesies ikan yang dijumpai di Reservoir Bukit Merah, sejumlah tujuh spesies ikan air tawar yang boleh dimakan telah dikenal pasti, iaitu lampam sungai (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii), lampam jawa (Barbonymus gonionotus), sebarau (Hampala macrolepidota), temperas (Cyclocheilichthys apogon), lalang (Oxygaster anomalura), haruan (Channa striata) dan pasir (Acantopsis dialuzona), dan kandungan asid lemak otot telah dianalisa untuk menentukan nilai nutrisi masing-masing. Otot ikan siprinid mengandungi lebih jumlah asid lemak politaktepu rantai panjang omega-3 (LC-PUFA) berbanding ikan daripada famili Channidae dan Cobitidae. Kandungan gabungan asid eikosapentaenoik (EPA) dan dokosaheksaenoik (DHA) yang tertinggi telah direkod pada otot ikan lampam jawa dan lampam sungai, ini menunjukkan kandungan nutrisi tertinggi berbanding spesies lain. Ikan haruan, iaitu sejenis pemangsa bersifat karnivor, mengandungi tahap LC-PUFA yang rendah berbanding ikan yang bersifat detrivor/herbivor. Hal ini menunjukkan bahawa kandungan asid lemak politaktepu (PUFA) omega-3 dalam otot ikan berbeza dan mengikut tabiat pemakanan mereka. Walaupun terdapat saranan bahawa memakan ikan laut dapat meningkatkan kesihatan kepada suatu tahap, namun demikian, masih terdapat manfaat daripada memakan ikan air tawar kerana terdapat beberapa spesies yang mengandungi PUFA omega-3 yang tinggi.