Seasonal and geographical variations of sterol composition in snow crab hepatopancreas and pelagic fish viscera from Eastern Quebec

Sterol composition was determined in snow crab hepatopancreas and mackerel and herring viscera for various locations and collection periods. A simple and valuable method, using direct saponification and extraction with water–cyclohexane has been optimized to recover total sterol. They were identified and quantified as trimethylsilyl ether derivatives by GC–MS analysis. Method validation indicated excellent sensitivity (limit of quantification: 1.25 mg/100 g wet basis for cholesterol and desmosterol; 0.03–0.05 mg/100 g for other sterols), good reproducibility (CV%: 1.5–6.8) and accuracy (recovery%: 94–107). In crab hepatopancreas, cholesterol was the main sterol (67–76%), followed by desmosterol (19–24%). Phytosterols and molluscan sterols were also present in low quantity. A lower total sterol content with different composition was found in crabs from Magdalen Islands compared to those from Gaspé Peninsula or North Shore of the St-Lawrence Gulf. No seasonal variation was observed between collection periods, which were probably too close. Mackerel and herring viscera contained the same sterols as crab except for campesterol and sitosterol, but the cholesterol proportion was higher (93–98%). The higher abundance of sterols in herring caught in September vs. May would be related to an increase of the body lipid content during the summer.