Eureka! Institutional Repository

The modern way of life has taken people away from preparing their meals and Mediterranean diet, an integral part of which is the frequent consumption of fish. Fish is considered to be an important source of high quality animal protein for human consumption. It is also a nutritious food due to its natural and high concentrations of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which have proven beneficial effects on health. They help prevent cardiovascular disease, ensure lower levels of cholesterol and blood viscosity, enhance memory and thinking ability. Finally, they are an excellent source of retinol, vitamin E, selenium, iodine, vitamin D and a good source of calcium. In Greece, marine fish and shellfish remain part of the normal diet of a large part of the population, but the antioxidant levels of the most commonly consumed species have not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to determine the total antioxidant capacity in the uscle tissue of 6 species of teleosts, caught from the Mediterranean Sea. Fish that are in the first places in the preference of Greek consumers were studied. The study included both wild fish: anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus), sardines (Sardina plichardus), striped mullet (Mullus barbatus) and European hake (Merluccius merluccius) as well as cultured fish: gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) and salmon (Salmon salar). For the extraction of the total antioxidants contained in the muscle tissue of the fish, the method of the n-hexane / ethanol mixture was chosen. The total antioxidant capacity was then determined by the DPPH method. From the initial thirty samples of fish fillets used, sixty samples were finally analyzed with the DPPH radical. The measurements were made in triplicate for each of our samples. The statistical analysis performed on the above data showed that there is no statistically significant difference (p= 0.107) in the total antioxidant capacity between the species. Striped mullet, sardine and salmon showed the highest average prices and occupied the first three places in our ranking respectively. Gilthead sea bream 10 follows with a very small difference in the fourth place and finally European hake and anchovies occupy the fifth and sixth place of the ranking respectively. The specific results suggest that the overall antioxidant capacity of muscle tissue of six of the most frequently consumed species of fish in our country, should be an additional strong incentive to consume these high biological value foods.