Nutritional Assessment of Some Traditionally Processed Hill-Stream Fishes of Manipur with Special Reference to n-3 Fatty Acids

Traditionally, smoke-dried hill-stream fishes are an important part of the diet of the people of Manipur, India. The nutritional values of the processed fishes were studied. The proximate composition, protein digestibility, and fatty acid composition of hill-stream fishes Neolissochilus stracheyi, Labeo pangusia, Semiplotus manipurensis, Schizothorax sp., and Ompok sp. were determined. The mean values of protein, lipid, ash, and moisture ranged from 31.20 to 72.58%, 6.36 to 18.73%, 4.32 to 5.33%, and 10.14 to 16.25%, respectively. The protein digestibilities were high (75.56–97.65%), and alpha amino nitrogen liberated during in vitro tests was highest (19.34 mg/g) in L. pangusia in pepsin and trypsin phase. The n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were highest in L. pangusia, followed by S. manipurensis. The study shows that the processed hill-stream fishes have different food values, and some are a good source of highly digestible protein and also contain a good amount of essential fatty acids that may be beneficial for brain development and optimal health.