Abstract
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Abstract Oil extracted from the belly flaps of Lake Victoria Nile perch ( Lates niloticus ) was evaluated for fatty acid composition, contents of vitamin A, β-carotene and α-tocopherol, and oxidative stability. The oil was found to contain substantial amount of palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic fatty acids (FAs) and had high vitamin A content (3.94 ± 0.02 to 5.90 ± 0.02 mg/100 g of oil). Docosahexaenoic acid (10.45 ± 0.38%), docosapentaenoic acid (5.30 ± 0.60%) and eicosapentaenoic acid (3.63 ± 0.05%) were the most dominant polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Ratios of PUFAs to saturated FAs were in the range 0.68 ± 0.02 to 0.74 ± 0.03, while the ratio of total ω-3 FAs to total ω-6 FAs was 0.85 ± 0.02 to 0.95 ± 0.08. The oils showed exceptional resistance to accelerated oxidation at 65 °C probably because of its high content of β-carotene (2.93 ± 0.03 to 4.69 ± 0.01 mg/100 g of oil) and α-tocopherol (2.11 ± 0.03 to 11.4 ± 0.92 mg/100 g of oil). From the results, it can be concluded that Nile perch oil is a rich source of essential fatty acids and vitamin A.