Avaliação do valor nutricional e ocorrência de óxidos de colesterol em peixe mandim (Arius spixii) comercializado em Maceió-AL

Abstract

Fish has long been highly regarded for its significant nutritional value. However, the presence of highly unsaturated fatty acids and high levels of cholesterol in some species, associated to the technological procedures employed in the processing, favor the oxidation of cholesterol. Cholesterol oxides are linked to adverse biological effects such as cytotoxicity, atherogenicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity. Important issues related to cholesterol oxides, their formation in food, and their biological effects were revised in this paper, mainly addressing their occurrence in fish. In view of the lack of information regarding the Chemical composition of locally consumed fish, an assessment was made of the nutritional value and the occurrence of cholesterol oxides in the mandim fish (Arius spixii) marketed in Maceió-AL, Brazil. Centesimal composition, calorie count, chloride, fatty acid and cholesterol profile, and cholesterol oxide levels were determined for both fresh and processed (salted-dried) fish. Respective results for fresh and processed mandim fish were: moisture (70.13% and 40.31%), proteins (51.73% and 38.07%, dried), carbohyrdrates (4.67% and 2.24%, dried), calories (485.61 kcal/100g and 366.89 kcal/100g, dried), fatty acids (omega-3 8.51% and 6.51%), cholesterol (82.66 mg/100g and 61.30 mg/100g) and oxides (7-ketocholesterol 8.31 μg/g and 17.90 μg/g). These figures led to the conclusion that the mandim fish has significant nutritional value, although the lack of criteria and proper technique in its processing did promote the loss of nutrients and the formation of cholesterol oxides, thus highlighting the need for a thorough assessment of the procedures employed in handling the locally consumed fish in order to implemente measures to safeguard its quality.