Several factors can contribute to the variability in the composition of the different species of fish. The objective of this work was to identify the most frequently consumed fish species in the State of Bahia to evaluate their nutritional value and to compile a list of fish processing companies in the State. A questionnaire was applied to the companies to characterize them. According to Bahia Pesca (2005), the most frequently consumed species are the shrimp-rose (Penaeus brasiliensis), accounting for 21.8% of the state production, the sardine (Opisthonema oglinum),10.2%, and the reds, especially guaiúba (Ocyurus chrysurus) and ariacó (Lutjanus synagris), 6.6%, followed by the mullet (Mugil spp.), 4.1%, respectively. Considering the nutritional value of the analyzed fish, the guaiúba was considered the best for consumption due to its smaller content of total lipids (0.82%) and saturated fat (28.74%). The production of 43% of the companies of the State of Bahia is around 10 to 50 ton/month, and the major difficulty found was poor investment in the sector by the government.
chemical composition; fish nutrients; fatty acids; benefit
