Bioactive fatty acids of three commercial scallop species

The fat content and fatty acid profile of commercially important scallops Flexopecten glaber, Mimachlamys varia, and Pecten jacobaeus were investigated in samples of adductor muscle, gonad, mantle, and viscera. The viscera showed the highest lipid content in all species examined. Significant differences were found in the fatty acid composition among tissues and among scallops. All pectinids exhibited high levels of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in the adductor muscle, with a maximum value of 211 mg/100 g tissue and 252 mg/100 g tissue in the viscera of F. glaber. Highest n3/n6 ratios were recorded in F. glaber gonad and viscera, in P. jacobaeus muscle, and in the gonad of M. varia. M. varia adductor muscle had the lowest values of atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices used as indicators of beneficial health effects. These data contribute to the overall evaluation of the nutritional quality of scallops and suggest that their consumption may provide health benefits.