Ana Paula Lopes

Effect of Alpha-Linolenic Acid Sources in Diets for Nile Tilapia on Fatty Acid Composition of Fish Fillet Using Principal Component Analysis

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effect of feed supplementation with chia and canola oils as a substitute for soybean oil on the composition of Nile tilapia muscle tissue using chemometrics. Diets were supplemented with 2.1% of each oil and were provided to fish for 15 and 30 days. Compared to soybean oil, supplementation with canola and chia oils significantly increased (P < 0.05) the contents of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5 n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3) in Nile tilapia fillet. At 30 days, DHA content increased 97% in Nile tilapia fed chia oil and 91% in treatment with canola oil. The highest EPA content correlated to treatment with chia oil (7.33 mg 100 g−1). The long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) precursors, linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, were observed to increase according to treatment type and feed supplementation duration. The principal component analysis resulted in a two-principal-component model that described 92.07% of the total data variance. Also, it highlighted that the replacement of soybean oil with canola and chia oils in Nile tilapia diets contributed to increasing the n-3 LC-PUFA concentration in Nile tilapia fillets, improving its nutritional value.

Levels of Soybean Oil and Time of Treatment for Nile Tilapia: a Factorial Design for Total n-3 Fatty Acids, n-6/n-3 and PUFA/SFA Ratios

A 22 factorial design (two factors with two levels, in triplicate) was performed to investigate the influence of factors A (soybean oil content in supplemented diet, at 2.1 and 4.2%) and B (time of treatment, 15 and 30 days) in three responses [(a) total n-3 fatty acids; (b) n-6/n-3 ratio; and (c) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)/saturated fatty acids (SFA) ratio] from lipids of Nile tilapia submitted to experimental treatment. Normality of residuals was assessed through statistical tests. Factors A and B were significant in all obtained regression models, while AB interaction was not a significant contributor for PUFA/SFA response. ANOVA and response surfaces obtained from factorial design indicated best results in tilapia that received the diet containing 4.2% of soybean oil during 30 days.