Analysis of lipid classes and the fatty acid composition of the salted fish roe food products, Ikura, Tarako, Tobiko and Kazunoko

This study was designed to clarify the content of lipid classes and the fatty acid composition of total lipids (TL), sterol esters (SE), triacylglycerols (TG), phospholipids (PL), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) of the Japanese fish roe products, Ikura, Tarako, Tobiko and Kazunoko. The TL, total cholesterol, TG, and PL content of Ikura were higher than those of Tarako, Tobiko and Kazunoko. Kazunoko had the lowest cholesterol content among these roe products. PC was the main component in the PL class of each fish roe product. The main fatty acids of all roe products were 16:0, 18:1n−9, 20:5n−3, and 22:6n−3. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n−3) was rich in the TL, SE, TG, PL, PC and PE fractions of all roe products. In particulars the 22:6n−3 percentage of PC and PE fractions in Tobiko were higher than those of Ikura, Tarako and Kazunoko. These results indicate that the lipid from fish roe products may be a useful food source for maintaining human health.