Resumo

MARTINO, Ricardo Cavalcanti  e  CRUZ, Gracinda Maria da. Proximate composition and fatty acid content of the mangrove oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae along the year seasons. Braz. arch. biol. technol. [online]. 2004, vol.47, n.6, pp. 955-960. ISSN 1516-8913.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-89132004000600015.

Mangrove oysters, Crassostrea rhizophorae were collected at the mangrove of "Barra de Guaratiba" district, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the aim to determine the proximate composition and fatty acid content. Along the year seasons no statistical (P>0.05) difference was observed in the values of moisture, crude protein, crude lipid and ash. They were 82.0%; 9.7%; 1.7%; 3.2%, in average, respectively. However, glycogen was significantly (P<0.05) higher in spring (4.4%) and winter (4.2%) samples, than in summer (2.7%) and autumn (2.9%), samples. Saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids were respectively, the most important fatty acids in oysters, with the palmitic acid (16:0), being the major fatty acid. This study, demonstrated that this species was characterized by low fat content (< 2.0%) and also being a good source of eicosapentaenoic (20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n-3, DHA) fatty acids. Therefore, C. rhizophorae, in terms of lipid and fatty acids, could be recommended for human consumption.

Palavras-chave : Mangrove oysters; Crassostrea rhizophorae; proximate composition; fatty acids; year seasons; human health.