Effect of dietary fatty acids on the fatty acid composition of Penaeus monodon juveniles

Abstract

Six purified diets containing either pollack liver oil or a combination of dietary fatty acids (18:1ω9, 18:3ω3, 20:5ω3) at 5% level and a control (no lipid) were assessed for their influence on the fatty acid composition of Penaeus monodon juveniles (0.2-0.5 g). After a 35-day feeding period, the fatty acid composition of the neutral lipid (NL) and polar lipid (PL) fractions of prawn total lipids was analyzed. All treatments showed that the prawn lipid contained high level of polyenoic acids (20:4ω6, 20:5ω3, 22:6ω3); likewise the sum of ω3 series fatty acids were high in the PL fraction. The component fatty acids of prawns showed a correlation with those of the diet. However, some dietary fatty acids were incorporated more into the NL fraction (18:1ω9, 20:5ω3) than in the PL fraction (20:4ω6). The ratios of 18:1ω9/22:6ω3 and (18:1ω9 + 20:1ω9)/(20:5ω3 + 22:6ω3) were found to be the lowest in the PL of the prawn pollack liver oil.