Valore nutrizionale della frazione lipidica delle sardine in funzione della lunghezza totale e dell’epoca di pesca

An investigation was carried out to evaluate the influence of total length and fishing period on the quality characteristics of sardines (Sardina pilchardus W.) fished in the lower Mediterranean Sea, with particular regard to the nutritional value of the lipid fraction. A total of 180 subjects, distributed between two fishing periods (January and May), were subdivided into two length classes for each period. The percentage yields in edible part and in eviscerated weight, as well as the chemical composition and the fatty acid composition, were evaluated. The obtained results showed that the sardines fished in May presented a significantly (p<0.001) higher yield in edible part than those fished in January, along with a concomitant significantly (p<0.001) lower moisture content and higher quantities of total protein and fat. The sardines fished in January, instead, presented significantly lower (p<0.001) quantities of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and significantly higher (p<0.001) contents of ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In both fishing periods considered, the sums of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids decreased, sometimes even significantly, in longer sardines, whereas, on the contrary, the sum of ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids significantly increased (p<0.05).