Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine and compare the seasonal changes in proximate composition, fatty acid profile and fat soluble vitamins content in spring and autumn sprat (Sprattus sprattus) from the Bulgarian Black Sea waters. Crude protein was in the range 16.10 – 17.15%, fat content was from 4.20 to 6.65g/100g wet weight (w.w.). The fatty acid (FA) and vitamin’s contents showed significant seasonal changes. The spring sprat was showed lower saturated fatty acid (SFA, 31.7%), higher mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA, 34.7%) and insignificantly lower polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, 33.6%) compared to the autumn samples. In both seasons omega-3 (n-3) PUFA levels were higher than omega-6 (n-6) PUFA and presented over than 50% of total PUFAs. Different amounts of alpha-tocopherol were found in both seasons – 701.2 μg/100g ww (spring). The higher amounts of all-trans retinol (142.3 μg/100 g ww) and cholecalciferol (11.9 μg/100 g ww) were found in spring samples. Regardless of the observed seasonal changes in proximate and FA composition, fat soluble vitamins and n-3 PUFA contents sprat species caught from the Bulgarian part of Black Sea are excellent sources of the analysed components and can be recommended for healthy human diet.

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