Abstract

Some species of fish and other aquatic organism are important sources of protein and fatty acids that are beneficial to human health and can be industrially processed. The fatty acid profile of Caiman crocodilus and Melanosuchus niger (native to the Brazilian Amazon flooded forest) was determined in samples of a commercial cut (tail fillet) and fat (fat body and somatic fat) of these two species. There were no statistically significant differences in the total lipid content between them (p ≥ 0.05) and both had higher levels of palmitic, stearic (saturated), and oleic (unsaturated) acids. However, omega 3 (ω-3) and omega 6 (ω-6) were not detected in the samples of the commercial cut; they were present only in the fats evaluated. Clinical studies are necessary to assess the influence of fatty acids from Amazon Caimans on human diet and the feasibility of obtaining new products such as nutraceuticals.

Key words: Black caiman, spectacled caiman, omega 3, omega 6.