Effect of Alpha-Linolenic Acid Sources in Diets for Nile Tilapia on Fatty Acid Composition of Fish Fillet Using Principal Component Analysis

This study evaluated the effect of feed supplementation with chia and canola oils as a substitute for soybean oil on the composition of Nile tilapia muscle tissue using chemometrics. Diets were supplemented with 2.1% of each oil and were provided to fish for 15 and 30 days. Compared to soybean oil, supplementation with canola and chia oils significantly increased (P < 0.05) the contents of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5 n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3) in Nile tilapia fillet. At 30 days, DHA content increased 97% in Nile tilapia fed chia oil and 91% in treatment with canola oil. The highest EPA content correlated to treatment with chia oil (7.33 mg 100 g^?1). The long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) precursors, linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, were observed to increase according to treatment type and feed supplementation duration. The principal component analysis resulted in a two-principal-component model that described 92.07% of the total data variance. Also, it highlighted that the replacement of soybean oil with canola and chia oils in Nile tilapia diets contributed to increasing the n-3 LC-PUFA concentration in Nile tilapia fillets, improving its nutritional value.