Determination of proximate composition and fatty acid profiles of Astacus leptodactylus Eschscholtz, 1823 in Turkish freshwater resources

Abstract

This research was conducted to evaluate the nutrient content of Astacus leptodactylus in various populations in the lakes Iznik and Egirdir, as well as in Hirfanli Dam Lake and Keban Dam Lake, all in Turkey. Crayfish meat yield ranged from a minimum of 11.3% to a maximum of 16.3% of wet weight in specimens from Keban and Iznik, respectively. Meat yield was significantly different, depending on the living environment. The protein content of the meat of A. leptodactylus ranged from 15.4 to 17.5%. The moisture content of crayfish was significantly lower in the high lipid containing Iznik Lake's crayfish. Crayfish lipids were poor in saturated fatty acids, but rich in PUFA's and in particular EPA, DHA and ARA. In all groups, the major saturated fatty acids were palmitic acid, stearic acid and myristic acid. Among the omega-6 fatty acid series, a high level of ARA was observed in crayfish meat. EPA may be considered as the major omega-3 fatty acid in crayfish lipids. There was no single fatty acid indicating regional differences in crayfish specimens.