Lipid content and composition of cultured Penaeus merguiensis fed with animal food

The lipid content and composition of cultured Penaeus merguiensis were examined by lipid extraction, thin-layer chromatography and capillary gas chromatography. The lipid content, 1.99% fresh weight, was higher than in other penaeids, but not especially so. The major lipid classes were phospholipid (47% total lipid), free sterol (27%) and triacylglycerol (17%), with smaller amounts of alkyldiacylglycerol, partial glycerides and free fatty acid. The fatty acid composition was moderately unsaturated and there were no signs of the accumulation of plant fatty acids typical of prawns fed diets supplemented with seed soils. In the light of these results, and of previous feeding studies on penaeids, it is concluded that animal lipid is probably an essential component in the diet of P. merguiensis, enabling it to maintain a normal lipid class and fatty acid composition.