CHANGES OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID CONTENT AND

LIPID COMPOSITION IN CANNED TUNA DURING

12-MONTH STORAGE

SIRITHON SIRIAMORNPUN1, LIFENG YANG1, JITTAWAN KUBOLA1 and

DUO LI2,3
1
Department of Food Technology and Nutrition
Faculty of Technology
Mahasarakham University
Muang, Thailand
2
Department of Food Science and Nutrition
Zhejiang University
Hangzhou, China 310029

Submitted for Publication September 6, 2007

Revised Received and Accepted October 11, 2007

ABSTRACT

The effect of storage time on the concentration and lipid and fatty acid
compositions of canned tuna in brine was studied. Lipid and fatty acid were
analyzed during 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of storage at room temperature.
Concentrations of lipids and total saturated fatty acids were significantly
increased after storage for 9 months. The concentrations of total polyunsatu-
rated fatty acids (PUFAs), total n-3 and n-6 PUFA were significantly stepwise
decreased with increased storage time (P < 0.05); 22:6n-3 and 22:5n-3 started
to decrease significantly at 6 months, and 20:5n-3 and 20:4n-6 decreased at 3
months (P < 0.05). The n-3/n-6 ratio significantly decreased from 3.8 at
0 month to 3.2 at 9 months (P < 0.05). Cholesterol ester was significantly
increased while the other four classes of lipids, namely, phospholipids, tria-
cylglycerols, free fatty acids and sterols, showed an opposite trend during 12
months of storage. Lipid oxidation measured by peroxide value and thiobar-
bituric acid value showed gradual increases with storage time. Thus, canned
tuna in brine should not be stored more than 6 months with consideration of
the stability of n-3 fatty acids.

3
Corresponding author. FAX: +86-571-86971024; EMAIL: duoli@zju.edu.cn

Journal of Food Lipids 15 (2008) 164–175. All Rights Reserved.

164 © 2008, The Author(s)
Journal compilation © 2008, Blackwell Publishing
 CHANGES OF OMEGA-3 AND LIPID COMPOSITION IN CANNED TUNA 165

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Canned foods are significant dietary items, especially for bush walkers,
travelers and armed service personnel. Canned fish, one of the important sources
of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), have an equivalent n-3
PUFA content as fresh fish. Long-chain PUFA in fresh fish is unstable and easy
to oxidize. Appropriate process produced canned fish have a number of advan-
tages such as odor, taste, shelf life, storage and carrying compared with fresh
fish. We have investigated the lipid oxidation and fatty acid alteration sequen-
tially during a 12-month storage because there has been no such data available
in the literature. The data from the present study could provide useful informa-
tion for industries, consumers and public health workers.

INTRODUCTION

Fish and fish products are widely consumed in many parts of the world
because they serve as a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs),
especially n-3 PUFAs such as docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) and eicosapen-
taenoic acid (20:5n-3). The n-3 PUFAs have been claimed to play an important
role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (Sinclair 1993; Stone 1997)
and may decrease the development of cancer (Collett et al. 2001; Terry et al.
2001).
Canned fish is an important food item because of its convenience and
affordability. It is also advantageous with regard to consumer aspects and food
preservation. Tuna has been popularly consumed worldwide. The composition
of fatty acids of fresh tuna and canned tuna has been studied by others (Sinclair
et al. 1992; Sinclair et al. 1998; Li et al. 2003). The changes of total fat and
fatty acids of canned tuna in oil during processing and storage have been
reported by Trinidad Garcia-Arias et al. (1994). However, it was not clearly
explained whether total fat and fatty acid composition changes originated from
the virtual oil from tuna muscle membrane or the added soy bean oil. There-
fore, the present study aimed to investigate the changes of content and com-
position of lipids and fatty acids of canned tuna in brine during a 12-month
storage. Lipid oxidation was also assessed using peroxide value (PV) and
thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Samples
Twenty-five samples of canned tuna in brine (1%) were obtained from
the same batch production supplied by Thai-Ruamsin Co. Ltd., Bangkok,
166 S. SIRIAMORNPUN ET AL.

Thailand, and were kept at room temperature until analysis. Lipid content and
composition, and fatty acid composition and concentration of the canned tuna
were analyzed at day 0 and after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of storage. Before lipid
extraction, all samples were chopped manually into fine pieces to increase the
surface area of the samples exposed to solvent during the lipid extraction.
The approximately 5 g of chopped canned tuna was extracted with
chloroform–methanol (2:1, v/v) containing 10 mg/L of butylated hydroxytolu-
ene and 0.2 mg/mL of tricosanoic acid (23:0, Sigma, St. Loius, MO) as an
internal standard (Li et al. 1998). The fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) of the
total lipid extract were prepared by saponification using 3 mL of H2SO4 in
methanol (0.9 mol/L) and 1 mL of toluene. The FAMEs were separated by
capillary gas chromatography using a 60 m ¥ 0.25 mm (I.D.) fused silica
bonded phase column DB-23 (J&W, Scientific, Folsom, CA). The column
oven was programmed from 125C for 3 min to 220C at 8C/min with helium as
a carrier gas at a flow rate of 43 cm/s. The fatty acids were identified by
comparison with standard mixtures of FAMEs, and the results were calculated
using response factors derived using standards of known identity (Nu-Chek-
Prep, Elysian, MN).

Lipid Analysis
The extracted lipid was separated by using an Iatroscan rod with two-step
developing solvents: the first step was petroleum ether/ether/acetic acid
(60:15:0.1, v/v/v), followed by the next step, petroleum ether/ether (56:4, v/v),
respectively. The lipid composition was determined using an MK-6s Iatroscan
TLC/FID (Iatron Laboratries Inc., Tokyo, Japan) by comparison with the lipid
standard (NuChek Prep). The results were calculated using a peak area derived
from the chromatograph and were reported as percent of total lipid (Li et al.
2005).
Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value was determined using the method of
Tarladgis et al. (1960). The TBA number was expressed as milligram malonal-
dehyde equivalents per kilogram sample. The absorbance was determined by
a spectophotometer at 532 nm against a blank containing distilled water and
TBA solution. PV, expressed as millimole O2/kg lipid, was determined by the
ferric thiocyanate method (AOAS 1994).

Statistics
Statistical analysis was performed by means of the SPSS Statistical
Software Package (SPSS 10.0 for Windows, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Analysis
of variance was used to evaluate storage times upon the lipid composition,
fatty acid concentration and lipid content of tuna in brine. Duncan’s test was
 CHANGES OF OMEGA-3 AND LIPID COMPOSITION IN CANNED TUNA 167

used for multiple comparisons. Differences were accepted as significant when

P < 0.05. Analyses were conducted in three replicates.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of storage time
on the composition and concentration of lipid and fatty acid of canned tuna in
brine. The composition of fatty acids of fresh tuna and canned tuna has been
extensively studied as reviewed by Li et al. (2003). Fresh tuna contained
significantly higher amount of n-3 PUFA than canned tuna in different brands,
which were available in the Australian markets (Sinclair et al. 1992, 1998).
This result indicates that thermal processing and storage alters some fatty acid
concentrations compared with those in fresh fish.
Changes of total fat and fatty acids of canned tuna in soybean oil during
processing and storage have previously been reported by Trinidad Garcia-
Arias et al. (1994). However, fatty acid and lipid analysis of canned tuna in
soybean oil during storage cannot reflect real changes of lipids and fatty acids
from the virtual oil in tuna muscle membrane. Added soybean oil is much
higher in amount than the lipid from tuna muscle membrane in canned tuna;
also, soybean oil contains natural antioxidants (tocopherols, phenolic com-
pounds), which have a protective effect on lipids and fatty acids (Karpinska
2001; Lee et al. 2005).
To the best of our knowledge, there are no research data on the effect of
storage time on lipid composition and fatty acid concentration of canned tuna
in brine. Analyses were conducted immediately after the tuna fish were com-
mercially canned as the baseline and after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of storage. The
results showed that the lipid content was significantly different during storage
at room temperature (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference at 0, 3
and 6 months of storage; however, the values significantly increased at 9
months of storage (P < 0.05) (Table 1). The most predominant lipid was phos-
pholipid (PL), accounting for 70% of the total lipid in fresh canned tuna.
Cholesterol ester (CE) was the only lipid that significantly increased gradually
from 7% at 0 month to 25% at 12 months of storage. However, the other four
classes of lipids, PL, triacylglycerols (TAGs), free fatty acids (FFAs) and
sterols, showed an opposite trend (Table 1). Increased CE may be caused by
esterification of cholesterol and FFAs, and catalyzed by reactivated acyl-CoA:
cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) during the storage, which is accompanied
by decreased sterol and FFAs. The microsomal enzyme ACAT catalyzes the
esterification of cellular cholesterol with fatty acids to form CE (Suckling and
Stange 1985). FFAs are among the hydrolytic products from fish lipids. Lipid
hydrolysis can occur with heating or action of enzymes (Sampels et al. 2004).
 168

TABLE 1.
LIPID COMPOSITIONS (% OF TOTAL LIPID) OF CANNED TUNA IN BRINE DURING 12 MONTHS OF STORAGE

Lipids Storage time (months)

0 3 6 9 12 P value*
b b b a a
Total lipid content (g/100 g) 1.09 ⫾ 0.03 1.06 ⫾ 0.05 1.09 ⫾ 0.08 1.20 ⫾ 0.10 1.21 ⫾ 0.10 0.01
Cholesterol ester 7.10 ⫾ 0.31e 11.69 ⫾ 0.73d 17.70 ⫾ 0.73c 21.83 ⫾ 0.39b 25.36 ⫾ 1.02a P < 0.0001
Triacylglycerol 8.19 ⫾ 0.37a 7.16 ⫾ 0.96b 6.92 ⫾ 0.44b 5.32 ⫾ 0.34c 3.22 ⫾ 0.83d P < 0.001
Free fatty acid 7.54 ⫾ 0.47a 7.63 ⫾ 0.59a 6.83 ⫾ 0.47b 5.86 ⫾ 0.58c 5.40 ⫾ 0.25c 0.005
Cholesterol 7.94 ⫾ 0.51a 6.13 ⫾ 0.31b 4.64 ⫾ 0.28c 4.38 ⫾ 0.81c 4.15 ⫾ 0.65c P < 0.0001
Phospholipids
S. SIRIAMORNPUN ET AL.

69.23 ⫾ 0.77a 67.38 ⫾ 0.85b 63.91 ⫾ 1.18c 62.61 ⫾ 0.43d 61.86 ⫾ 0.70d P < 0.0001

Superscript letters indicate the difference between storage times.

* Analysis of variance results.
 CHANGES OF OMEGA-3 AND LIPID COMPOSITION IN CANNED TUNA 169

The lipases, phospholipase A and phospholipase B, are believed to be impor-

tant enzymes in fish lipid hydrolysis (Hwang and Regenstein 1993).
Both composition and concentration of total saturated fatty acid (SFA)
were significantly increased, whereas total PUFA, n-3 and n-6 PUFAs were
significantly decreased starting from 6 months of storage (Tables 2 and 3). The
22:6n-3, as a predominant n-3 PUFA, and another minor n-3 PUFA 22:5n-3
were significantly decreased in both composition and concentration after 6
months of storage; while another main n-3 PUFA, 20:5n-3, was significantly
decreased at 3 months of storage. The predominant n-6 PUFA was 20:4n-6,
which was significantly decreased starting at 3 months of storage. The polar
lipids of the membrane systems in fish muscle have a higher content of the
long-chain PUFA than do the neutral TAGs (Hsieh and Kinsella 1989).
Decreased PUFA levels might be caused by processing and heating, in which
the protein in the membrane structure will be decomposed, PL will be released,
and PUFAs will be oxidized gradually during the storage because long-chain
PUFAs are predominantly located in PL (Sinclair and O’Dea 1987). Overall,
n-3 PUFAs showed a greater loss (25%) compared with n-6 PUFAs (12%); the
ratio of n-3 to n-6 was decreased gradually during the 12 months of storage,
and this result indicated that n-3 PUFAs were less stable than n-6 PUFAs.
A ratio of 16:0 was the most predominant SFA, and another main SFA
was 18:0; the composition and concentration of 16:0 and 18:0 were signifi-
cantly increased after 6 months of storage. The lower content of PUFAs and
higher content of SFA during storage indicate the susceptability of PUFAs to
oxidation (Cosgrove et al. 1987; Mottram 1998).
Hydrolysis (lipolysis) of ester bonds in TAGs might occur by enzyme
action or by water during storage, which leads to an increased SFA, because
SFAs are mainly located in TAGs (Nawar 1996).
The stability of lipids in canned tuna in brine was evaluated by PV and
TBA value procedures. PV was gradually increased with increasing storage
time (Fig. 1). It started to increase significantly (P < 0.05) after storage for 9
months. However, the PV of all samples did not exceed the upper limit of
5 mmol O2/kg lipid, which indicates that fishery products are unhealthy for
human consumption (Sikorski et al. 1990). Secondary lipid oxidation mea-
sured by the TBA values showed a gradual increase within the storage time
(Fig. 2). The TBA values followed the PV trends. A significant increase of
TBA values could be observed after 12 months of storage. This result may
reflect the oxidation of PUFA in the PL fraction, followed by oxidation of the
neutral lipid fraction (Eboh et al. 2006).
In addition, brine (NaCl) has been reported to enhance the lipid oxidation
and that of the highly unsaturated lipids (Harris and Tall 1994). Some studies
have reported that an increasing salt concentration accelerated the rate of
increase of PV in salted horse mackerel during frozen storage (Aubgbourg and
 TABLE 2.
FATTY ACID COMPOSITIONS (% OF TOTAL FATTY ACIDS) OF CANNED TUNA IN BRINE DURING 12 MONTHS OF STORAGE
170
Fatty acid Storage time (months)

0 3 6 9 12 P value*

14:0 0.59 ⫾ 0.03 0.53 ⫾ 0.05 0.51 ⫾ 0.05 0.55 ⫾ 0.04 0.56 ⫾ 0.04 0.678
15:0 0.47 ⫾ 0.02b 0.51 ⫾ 0.01b 0.52 ⫾ 0.08b 0.62 ⫾ 0.02a 0.62 ⫾ 0.03a 0.001
16:0 17.63 ⫾ 0.56c 16.99 ⫾ 0.83c 18.78 ⫾ 0.51b 22.43 ⫾ 0.34a 22.21 ⫾ 0.86a P < 0.0001
17:0 0.90 ⫾ 0.05c 0.98 ⫾ 0.09bc 0.96 ⫾ 0.09bc 1.14 ⫾ 0.09b 1.48 ⫾ 0.25a 0.003
18:0 7.20 ⫾ 0.07c 7.23 ⫾ 0.34c 8.33 ⫾ 0.22b 9.84 ⫾ 0.32a 9.70 ⫾ 0.33a P < 0.0001
20:0 0.13 ⫾ 0.02b 0.16 ⫾ 0.03b 0.26 ⫾ 0.04a 0.09 ⫾ 0.01c 0.10 ⫾ 0.01c 0.022
Total SFA 26.91 ⫾ 0.54c 26.40 ⫾ 1.17c 29.37 ⫾ 0.55b 34.66 ⫾ 0.45a 34.66 ⫾ 0.84a P < 0.0001
15:1 1.24 ⫾ 0.06a 1.06 ⫾ 0.07a 1.16 ⫾ 0.07a 0.44 ⫾ 0.05b 0.48 ⫾ 0.05b P < 0.0001
16:1 1.45 ⫾ 0.08 1.60 ⫾ 0.09 1.50 ⫾ 0.19 1.68 ⫾ 0.10 1.61 ⫾ 0.15 0.330
17:1 0.23 ⫾ 0.03c 0.64 ⫾ 0.03a 0.63 ⫾ 0.05a 0.57 ⫾ 0.04b 0.56 ⫾ 0.04b 0.003
18:1 10.72 ⫾ 0.42b 10.55 ⫾ 0.41b 12.07 ⫾ 0.98a 13.62 ⫾ 0.38a 12.82 ⫾ 0.56a P < 0.0001
20:1 0.24 ⫾ 0.02c 0.32 ⫾ 0.02b 0.37 ⫾ 0.05a 0.22 ⫾ 0.02c 0.21 ⫾ 0.04c 0.013
Total MUFA 13.88 ⫾ 0.40b 14.16 ⫾ 0.54b 15.74 ⫾ 1.14a 16.53 ⫾ 0.47a 15.69 ⫾ 0.63a P < 0.0001
18:3 3.07 ⫾ 0.34a 3.67 ⫾ 0.32a 3.44 ⫾ 0.31a 0.53 ⫾ 0.06b 0.82 ⫾ 0.09b P < 0.0001
20:5 6.07 ⫾ 0.26a 5.65 ⫾ 0.34b 4.76 ⫾ 0.26c 4.64 ⫾ 0.07c 4.45 ⫾ 0.47c 0.001
22:5 0.63 ⫾ 0.04a 0.61 ⫾ 0.01a 0.44 ⫾ 0.07b 0.38 ⫾ 0.04bc 0.37 ⫾ 0.04c 0.001
S. SIRIAMORNPUN ET AL.

22:6 37.08 ⫾ 1.37a 36.93 ⫾ 1.04a 34.41 ⫾ 2.53b 31.80 ⫾ 0.87c 32.23 ⫾ 0.89c P < 0.0001
Total n-3 46.84 ⫾ 1.75a 46.87 ⫾ 0.70a 43.06 ⫾ 2.92b 37.35 ⫾ 0.81c 37.88 ⫾ 1.01c P < 0.0001
18:2 1.00 ⫾ 0.01c 0.92 ⫾ 0.06a 0.81 ⫾ 0.06ab 0.87 ⫾ 0.05b 0.77 ⫾ 0.02b P < 0.0001
20:2 0.24 ⫾ 0.04a 0.19 ⫾ 0.02a 0.12 ⫾ 0.03b 0.21 ⫾ 0.05a 0.22 ⫾ 0.06a 0.002
20:3 0.14 ⫾ 0.04b 0.13 ⫾ 0.03b 0.31 ⫾ 0.06a 0.15 ⫾ 0.02b 0.12 ⫾ 0.02b P < 0.0001
20:4 6.01 ⫾ 0.58a 5.68 ⫾ 0.53b 5.69 ⫾ 0.30b 5.43 ⫾ 0.10b 5.58 ⫾ 0.29b 0.016
22:4 0.35 ⫾ 0.02a 0.28 ⫾ 0.03b 0.24 ⫾ 0.06b 0.25 ⫾ 0.01b 0.26 ⫾ 0.07b 0.004
22:5 4.86 ⫾ 0.06b 5.33 ⫾ 0.13a 4.65 ⫾ 0.40b 4.60 ⫾ 0.17b 4.73 ⫾ 0.27b P < 0.0001
Total n-6 12.37 ⫾ 0.58a 12.57 ⫾ 0.63a 11.92 ⫾ 0.49ab 11.45 ⫾ 0.18b 11.78 ⫾ 0.27b 0.001
Total PUFA 59.21 ⫾ 1.32a 59.44 ⫾ 0.65a 54.91 ⫾ 3.34b 48.81 ⫾ 0.78c 49.65 ⫾ 1.03c P < 0.0001
n-3/n-6 3.80 ⫾ 0.30a 3.74 ⫾ 0.23a 3.61 ⫾ 0.15a 3.26 ⫾ 0.10b 3.22 ⫾ 0.12b 0.003

Superscript letters indicate the difference between storage times.

* Analysis of variance results.
SFA, saturated fatty acid; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid.
 TABLE 3.
FATTY ACIDS CONCENTRATION (mg/100 g) OF CANNED TUNA IN BRINE DURING 12 MONTHS OF STORAGE

Fatty acid Storage time (months)

0 3 6 9 12 P value*

14:0 3.65 ⫾ 0.13 3.19 ⫾ 0.20 3.11 ⫾ 0.40 3.14 ⫾ 0.12 3.21 ⫾ 0.26 0.485
15:0 2.90 ⫾ 0.24b 3.11 ⫾ 0.18b 3.19 ⫾ 0.25b 3.52 ⫾ 0.21a 3.58 ⫾ 0.24a 0.011
16:0 110.03 ⫾ 6.43 103.14 ⫾ 9.82c 115.03 ⫾ 8.96b 127.60 ⫾ 6.88a 128.45 ⫾ 9.17a 0.012
17:0 5.60 ⫾ 0.56c 5.94 ⫾ 0.80bc 5.86 ⫾ 0.60bc 6.51 ⫾ 0.83b 8.54 ⫾ 0.77a 0.001
18:0 44.95 ⫾ 4.73c 43.86 ⫾ 3.90c 51.02 ⫾ 3.67b 55.94 ⫾ 2.88a 56.01 ⫾ 3.83a 0.001
20:0 0.78 ⫾ 0.10c 0.95 ⫾ 0.07b 1.62 ⫾ 0.20a 0.51 ⫾ 0.12d 0.59 ⫾ 0.06d P < 0.0001
Total SFA 167.91 ⫾ 8.71b 160.19 ⫾ 14.47b 179.82 ⫾ 11.68ab 197.22 ⫾ 10.27a 200.38 ⫾ 11.71a 0.006
15:1 7.69 ⫾ 0.37a 6.41 ⫾ 0.42a 7.09 ⫾ 0.32a 2.48 ⫾ 0.26b 2.80 ⫾ 0.33b P < 0.0001
16:1 9.01 ⫾ 0.47 9.69 ⫾ 0.17 9.20 ⫾ 0.41 9.59 ⫾ 0.43 9.34 ⫾ 0.47 0.943
17:1 1.43 ⫾ 0.22c 3.84 ⫾ 0.70a 3.87 ⫾ 0.45a 3.26 ⫾ 0.23b 3.23 ⫾ 0.55b P < 0.0001
18:1 66.87 ⫾ 5.91b 63.85 ⫾ 1.61b 73.98 ⫾ 9.42a 77.48 ⫾ 4.74a 74.07 ⫾ 6.60a 0.04
20:1 1.49 ⫾ 0.09b 1.92 ⫾ 0.19b 2.24 ⫾ 0.60a 1.24 ⫾ 0.18c 1.22 ⫾ 0.20c P < 0.0001
Total MUFA 86.49 ⫾ 6.56 85.70 ⫾ 1.68 96.39 ⫾ 9.70 94.05 ⫾ 5.14 90.66 ⫾ 6.87 0.07
18:3 18.94 ⫾ 0.85a 22.21 ⫾ 0.95a 21.07 ⫾ 4.29a 2.99 ⫾ 0.37b 4.76 ⫾ 0.59b P < 0.0001
20:5 37.84 ⫾ 3.47a 34.1 ⫾ 1.39b 29.09 ⫾ 2.26c 26.40 ⫾ 1.63cd 25.69 ⫾ 2.25d P < 0.0001
22:5 3.93 ⫾ 0.22a 3.69 ⫾ 0.21a 2.70 ⫾ 0.41b 2.19 ⫾ 0.28c 2.15 ⫾ 0.29c P < 0.0001
22:6 230.87 ⫾ 7.06a 223.91 ⫾ 6.27a 208.36 ⫾ 8.16b 181.15 ⫾ 6.92c 186.18 ⫾ 8.33c P < 0.0001
Total n-3 291.58 ⫾ 10.3a 284.00 ⫾ 5.23a 261.23 ⫾ 11.60b 212.72 ⫾ 8.09c 218.79 ⫾ 8.46c P < 0.0001
18:2 4.82 ⫾ 0.30b 6.03 ⫾ 0.32a 5.64 ⫾ 0.44a 4.60 ⫾ 0.52b 5.01 ⫾ 0.68b P < 0.0001
20:2 1.50 ⫾ 0.29a 1.16 ⫾ 0.08a 0.71 ⫾ 0.10b 1.20 ⫾ 0.29a 1.25 ⫾ 0.35a P < 0.0001
20:3 0.78 ⫾ 0.08b 0.75 ⫾ 0.10b 1.88 ⫾ 0.39a 0.83 ⫾ 0.07b 0.70 ⫾ 0.09b P < 0.0001
20:4 37.58 ⫾ 4.35a 34.3 ⫾ 2.30b 34.73 ⫾ 0.98b 30.93 ⫾ 1.94c 32.26 ⫾ 2.00c 0.015
22:4 2.20 ⫾ 0.25a 1.70 ⫾ 0.16b 0.94 ⫾ 0.06c 1.44 ⫾ 0.10b 1.51 ⫾ 0.39b P < 0.0001
22:5 30.29 ⫾ 2.45a 32.32 ⫾ 1.56a 28.38 ⫾ 1.67ab 26.21 ⫾ 1.92b 27.38 ⫾ 1.71b 0.001
CHANGES OF OMEGA-3 AND LIPID COMPOSITION IN CANNED TUNA

Total n-6 77.16 ⫾ 6.79a 76.13 ⫾ 3.41a 72.32 ⫾ 2.20b 65.21 ⫾ 2.85c 68.12 ⫾ 3.10c 0.010
Total PUFA 368.74 ⫾ 14.30a 360.14 ⫾ 3.08a 333.55 ⫾ 12.82b 277.93 ⫾ 10.44c 286.91 ⫾ 10.65c P < 0.0001

Superscript letters indicate the difference between storage time.

171

* Analysis of variance results.

SFA, saturated fatty acid; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid.
172 S. SIRIAMORNPUN ET AL.

a
4.5 b
Peroxide Value (mmol O2/kg lipid)

c c c
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0 3 6 9 12
Storage time (months)

FIG. 1. PEROXIDE VALUES OF CANNED TUNA IN BRINE DURING THE 12-MONTH

STORAGE. DIFFERENT LETTERS INDICATE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STORAGE
TIMES AT P < 0.05

1.4
a
TBA value (mg malonaldehyde equivalent)

1.2 b
b b
1 c

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 3 6 9 12
Storage time (months)

FIG. 2. THIOBARBITURIC ACID VALUES OF CANNED TUNA IN BRINE DURING THE

12-MONTH STORAGE. DIFFERENT LETTERS INDICATE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
STORAGE TIMES AT P < 0.05
 CHANGES OF OMEGA-3 AND LIPID COMPOSITION IN CANNED TUNA 173

Ugliano 2002) and in hot smoked tilapia stored at 4C (Yanar et al. 2006).
Generally, salted smoke-dried fish cakes had significantly (P < 0.05) higher
PV, TBA and FFA levels than their unsalted counterparts (Eboh et al. 2006).
Oxidation might also be induced by heavy metals contained in tuna. Tuna
has been reported to contain a large amount of heavy metals such as lead and
mercury (Schmitt and Brumbaugh 1990; Khansari et al. 2005). In the canning
process, retort system, an association between heating and pressure, could
influence lipid oxidation. Several studies have confirmed that pressure
increases the rate of lipid oxidation in muscle systems, and have attributed this
effect mainly to the water content and/or metal ions released from hemoprotein
complexes during pressure treatment (Tanaka et al. 1991; Cheah and Ledward
1995; Cheah and Ledward 1997) and in dried fish products (Eboh et al. 2006).
Thus, canned tuna in brine should be used within 6 months because of the
instability of its n-3 PUFAs.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Thai-Ruamsin Co. Ltd. for supplying the
samples. Thanks also to Mahsarakham University for the research grant.

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