Abstract
Fatty acid profiling of the eggs and muscle of Lates niloticus juveniles was carried out, revealing the presence of two types of cholesterol and over twenty fatty acids. The total saturated fatty acid, total monounsaturated acid and the total polyunsaturated fatty acid compositions in the various samples lay in the ranges 13.39 to 41.81, 19.41 to 42.98 and 22.17 to 43.63%, respectively. There was a detection of an abundance of palmitic, stearic, oleic and docosahexaenoic fatty acids in all the samples investigated. The n-3/n-6 ratio averaged at 5.12±4.28. Cholesterol was detected in all the samples except in the eggs. This information is necessary as an aid to the formulation of an entire feed process required for the rapid replenishing of the declining L. niloticus stocks in Lake Victoria.
Key words: Lates niloticus, muscle tissue, fatty acids, Lake Victoria, cholesterol.
