The mantles (edible parts) of three species of cephalopod molluscs from Saronicos Bay (Greece), a popular food consumed by Greeks, were examined for its neutral lipids and fatty acids and found to be excellent sources for polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially n-3). Total lipids of the cephalopods Eledone moschata, Sepia officinalis and Todarodes sagittatus mantle, constituted 2.0, 1.4 and 1.7% of wet tissue, respectively. Neutral lipid components of the mantles of the above mentioned organisms constituted 49.5, 33.9 and 25.8% of the total lipids, respectively. The main neutral lipids identified, for E. moschata were triglycerides 66.1%, free sterols 26.2% and sterol esters 5.4%; for S. officinalis were triglycerides 29.6%, free sterols 66.7% and sterol esters 1.2%; and for T. sagittatus were triglycerides 5.5%, free sterols 92.7% and sterol esters 0.6%. The main fatty acids found were: C16:0 (E. moschata 17.27%, S. officinalis 19.27%, T. sagittatus 26.66%), C18:0 (E. moschata 6.63%, S. officinalis 8.22%, T. sagittatus 4.90%), C20:5 (n-3) (E. moschata 16.73%, S. officinalis 17.59%, T. sagittatus 15.65%) and C22:6 (n-3) (E. moschata 24.71%, S. officinalis 30.69%, T. sagittatus 35.70%). By estimating the quantity of total sterol (cholesterol) and triglycerides in the meals it seems that if one consumes the same quantity of each of these cephalopods the intakes of total sterol and of the polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids from 100 g of mantle is about the same and supplies 0.26, 0.32 and 0.40 g of sterols, respectively, and 0.45, 0.32 and 0.40 g of n-3 fatty acids, respectively, while the triglycerides content is quite different and supplies 0.65, 0.14 and 0.02 g of triglycerides, respectively.
(EN)
Food Research International
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