Abstract
In present study, the economically most important fish species, namely Mahseer ( Tor putitora ), Silver carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ), Common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ), Thela fish ( Catla catla ) and Rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) from Pakistan, were evaluated for their proximate compositions and fatty acid profiles. All of the analyzed fish were collected from the Northwestern regions (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) of Pakistan. Proximate analysis was done by using standard AOAC methods, whereas the detailed fatty acid composition was evaluated by using gas liquid chromatography. A significant difference (p< 0.05) was noticed for various proximate parameters and fatty acids profiles among fish species. Palmatic acid (C16:0) was the copious fatty acid of each fish species, with a range from 16.7% to 24.6%. Furthermore, all fish species were found as good sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) including alpha linolenic acids (ALA C18:3), arachidonic acids (AA C20:4), eicosapentaenoic (EPA C20:5) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA C22:6) and protein. Whereas, Rainbow trout ranked highest in PUFAs while Mahseer proved to have highest protein contents.