Chemical characterization of fish species employed to Asthma treatment southern region of Rio Grande do Sul

摘要

This study examined the chemical characterization of two fish species, Balistes capriscus (peixe-porco) and Menticirrhus littoralis (papa-terra) found in the South Coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, which the local population believes has pharmacologic properties for treatment of asthma. The fishes were collected from industries and in the city public market, and the edible part (muscles) separated from the skin for examination. The chemical composition of the fishes was determined using the AOAC International (2000) method; lipids were quantified using Bligh and Dyer (1959) method. The phospholipids in the lipid fraction were determined by spectrophotometry using German standard methodology described by Esteves, Goncalves e Barrera-Arellano (1995) adapted to fish lipids. The muscle and skin of the peixe-porco and papa-terra presented, respectively, an average of 78.5% and 71.5%; 80% and 75.5% of humidity; 1.4% and 11%; 1.2% and 0.8% of ash; 18.8% and 16.7%; 17.6% and 18.5% of protein; 0.77% and 0.5%; 0.82% and 7% of lipids. The phospholipid values obtained were 17.2 mg/g of total lipids for muscle and 11.3mg/g of total lipids for skin of the peixe-porco and 5.8 mg/g of total lipids for muscle and 2.04 mg/g of total lipids for skin of the papa-terra. The relations of phospholipids/total lipids in the muscle and skin from the two species were similar to other marine species cited in literature. However, the level of phospholipids in the skin of peixe-porco is five times higher than that found in the skin of papa-terra..