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.