Changes in the nutritional profile of Godavari hilsa shad, Tenualosa ilisha(Hamilton, 1822) during its anadromous migration from Bay of Bengal tothe River Godavari

Abstract

Godavari hilsa shad is a premium priced and highly sought after anadromous fish that annually migrates from Bay of Bengalto the River Godavari during post-monsoon for spawning. The protein content was slightly higher in marine hilsa (22.69%).Wide variation in fat content of hilsa was observed during its anadromous migration. The fat content in the marine hilsa was12.4% which increased in brackishwater habitat to 17.3% and progressively decreased in river habitat (14.51 to 8.78%).Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content showed an increasing trend with lowest in marine hilsa (11.41%) and highest inGodavari hilsa (26.87%). Tetradecanoic acid (myristic acid) (325.3 mg%) was the most prominent SFA and octadec-9-enoicacid (oleic acid) (816.8 mg%) was the dominant MUFA in Godavari hilsa. Docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexaenoic acid (DHA)(245.8 mg%) was the most significant PUFA followed by eicosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaenoic acid (EPA) (45.4 mg%) and octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid (alpha-linolenic Acid) (42.1 mg%). The results of the study show that nutritional composition of Godavarihilsa changes during its migration and the hilsa from River Godavari appears to be better than the marine hilsa from Bay ofBengal.