Fatty acid composition of wild and cultivated gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Total lipid content and fatty acid composition were determined for wild and cultivated gilthead seabream and sea bass. Fatty acid analyses were carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Respective total lipid content of flesh in cultivated gilthead seabream and sea bass were 1.7-5.0-times those of wild samples. Palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1n-9) were the major fatty acids respectively among the saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids of each fish species. It is noteworthy that both linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) and arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6) were predominant in total n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the respective cultivated and wild types. Eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3) amounts were significantly higher in flesh of cultivated fish than in wild fish.