Identification of furan fatty acids in the lipids of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

• Lipid fractions and fatty acid composition of common carp tissues were studied.
• Triacylglycerols and monounsaturated fatty acids predominated in muscle.
• Polar lipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids predominated in male and female gonads.
• Eight furan fatty acids were identified in triacylglycerols of male gonad tissue.
• A less common furan fatty acid with even-numbered alkyl moiety was present.

Fatty acid (FA) composition was analyzed in muscle and gonad tissues of marketed common carp (Cyprinus carpio). The extracted lipids were separated into four fractions: polar lipids (PL), diacylglycerols, free fatty acids and triacylglycerols (TAG) using thin layer chromatography. FA content within the lipid fractions was determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC/FID). The muscle lipids consisted primarily of TAG (96.9% of total FA), while PL were the major component of both male (67.6%) and female gonad (58.6%) lipids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids predominated in PL of all tissues (52.2–55.8% of total FA); monounsaturated fatty acids were the most abundant FA group in TAG of muscle (51.8%) and female gonads (47.8%) whereas high proportion of furan fatty acids (F-acids) (38.2%) was detected in TAG of male gonads. Eight F-acids were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in male gonad samples, including less common 12,15-epoxy-13,14-dimethylnonadeca-12,14-dienoic acid with even-numbered alkyl moiety.