Abstract

Keivandokht Samiee, Abdolhossein Rustaiyan and Zahra Nurtaj

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are essential nutrients for health. New studies are identifying potential benefits for a wide range of conditions including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. In this investigation, the liver and muscle tissues of Katsuwonus pelamis from the Iranian Port of Chabahar in March 2013 were separately extracted for their lipid content especially omega-3 fatty acids composition using the method of Blight and Dyer. The compounds were determined by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC- MS). The components detected in the liver and muscle tissues, include saturated fatty acids Palmitic acid and Stearic acid, monounsaturated fatty acid Oleic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), two methyl esters of fatty acids including Octadecanoic acid, methyl ester and Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester. The results showed that docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids were the dominant Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the species.