M. Iqbal Ahmed

This study reports the antioxidant potential and chemical composition of muscle from 30 fish species of different feeding habits namely carnivore, herbivore and omnivore.Different in vitro assays used for determining antioxidant potential of extracts of fish species were: thin layer chromatography (TLC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity. No significant difference of antioxidant activity or nutrient content was observed among carnivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous fishes. The IC50 measured by DPPH method varied from 154 to 2139 µg/ml of wet weight. The lowest IC50 value was observed in C. idellafollowed by P.ticto, C. striatus, C. punctatus, L. rohita, A. testudineus, M. cordyla, O. mossambicus and G. giuris. Themoisture content of samples ranged from 62 - 85%. The protein content washigh in C. idella (24.3%) and low in L. calbasu (10.57 %). The lipid and ash content analyzed in the selected fish species ranged from 1.17-7.94% and 1.31-4.80%, respectively. Overall, the results suggestthat fish of different feeding habit can be exploited for their antioxidant and nutrients components and used for consumption as well as value addition in food formulations.