Abstract:

In this study, it was aimed to determine the fat content and fatty acid (FA) composition in gonad tissue of Silurus triostegus (Heckel, 1843) caught (between May and March) from Atatürk Dam Lake. The amount of total lipid in gonad tissue reached its maximum in female and male fish in May and September, respectively. The most abundant FAs in all-season were palmitic acid amongst saturated fatty acids (SFAs), oleic acid amongst monounsaturated fatty acids, 22:6n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA), 18:3n-3 (linolenic acid), 18:2 n-6 (linoleic acid), and 20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA), amongst polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Triacylglycerol and PL fatty acid compositions in gonad tissues of the male and female fish species were found different. A lower proportion of PUFAs was found in the TAG of all seasons compared to PL in female and male samples. Generally, percentages of n-3 fatty acids were determined higher than percentages of n-6 fatty acids. There were quantitative differences between individual FAs in the gonad tissue investigated, depending on the sex.