Categories
vol-6PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF SOME
RED SEA FISHES
By
A.FaA. L*\tif and A.M.A. fouda
BULL~Yf’IN OI;’ ‘l’HE INST1T~} Ol;~ OO:mA.KOGRAPH1~ & FISHERlltS 55
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SUMMARY
1. The present work deals with the estimation of
moisture, protein, fat and ash in the flesh of 25 species
belonging to 12 families. Material collected from the
neighbourhood of AI-Ghardaqa, Red Sea, during the
period of :May through October.
2. Moisture content ranged frem 72.67 to 79. 77 /~.
Highest content was recorded in Variola louti and the
lowest in Clupea leiogaster. Most species have water
content more than 75%. Range of difference between
maximal and minimal values of water content is mostly
from I to 3%’ is different for different species and is
less manifested within the species of the same family
than within different species of dIfferent families. Standard deviation ranged frem 0.2307 to 1. 3863.
3. Protein content ranged fJcm 17.99 – 23.22%.
Highest protein content is recorded in Clupea leiogaster
and lowest in Epinephelus megachi.. Most species have
protein between lR and 20%. Nine species have this
content more than 20%. Standard deviation ranged
from 0.1961 to 0.9840.
4. Fat content had range from 0 339 to 2.515% and
standard deviation from 0.0648 to 0 4368. 18 species
had fatcontent1ess than 1%and only 2 species, namely,
Clupea leiogaster and Decapterus sanctaehelenae had
fat content over 2%.
5. Among the species examined. surface fishes havehigh fat content as compared with that of other fishes,
except Lethrinus latifrons. The 25 species examined
are lean.
6. Among moisture, protein, and fat, the last showed
the highest degree of variation and ranges of the coefficients of variation are 0.3 – 1.84, 0.85 – 4.67 and 7.52-·
85.65 respectively.
7. According to Stansby’s nomenclature (1962),
most of the species examined belong to category A,
i.e. having low oil and high protein content,some fishes
belong primarily to this group but secondarily to group
D, i.e. having low oil and very high protein. Few fishesbelong only to group D while some others belong primarily to this group but secondarily to group A. Sucll
a Characterization has no relation with the family to
which the fish bel on gs.
8. Ash content ranged between 1.169 to 1.559%•.
22 species lied in ash content range between I .2 to 1.5%.
Ash content less than 1.2% or more than 1. 5 /~ is recorded in one and two species respectively.
