From Raw to Cooked - Proximate Composition, Fatty Acids and Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) from the Black Sea

Sep 30, 2026

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Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is a key Black Sea species, yet quantitative evidence on how traditional household cooking changes its nutritional profile has been limited. This study evaluated grilling, pan-frying, and smoking for impacts on proximate composition, fatty acid profile, fat-soluble vitamins, antioxidant pigments, and cholesterol. Cooking reduced moisture by 7–18% and increased total lipids by 26–80%. Pan-frying most strongly decreased long-chain n-3 PUFA, while smoking best preserved vitamin E and produced the highest EPA + DHA values. Grilling and smoking were most favorable for retaining long-chain n-3 PUFA and key micronutrients.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

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Abstract

Keywords

1. Introduction

Article From Raw to Cooked: Proximate Composition, Fatty Acids and Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) from the Black Sea Veselina Panayotova 1, *, Katya Peycheva 1, Tatyana Hristova 1, Diana A. Dobreva 1, Tonika Stoycheva 1, Rositsa Stancheva 1, Stanislava Georgieva 1, Evgeni Andreev 2, Silviya Nikolova 3, Rouzha Pancheva 4 and Albena Merdzhanova 1 Academic Editors: Ida-Johanne Jensen, Eva Falch and Abul Hossain Received: 6 November 2025 Revised: 16 December 2025 Accepted: 22 December 2025 Published: 24 December 2025 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Varna, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria; [albenamerdjanova@mu-varna.bg](albenamerdjanova@mu-varna.bg) (A.M.) 2 Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria 3 Department of Social Medicine and Healthcare Organization, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Varna, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria 4 Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Varna, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria * Correspondence: [ivanova@mu-varna.bg](ivanova@mu-varna.bg); Tel.: +359-887807998 Abstract Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is an important Black Sea species; however, quantitative data on how traditional household cooking affects its nutritional composition remain limited. This study assessed the effects of grilling, pan-frying, and smoking on the proximate composition, fatty acid profile, fat-soluble vitamins, antioxidant pigments, and cholesterol content of bluefish. Cooking led to moisture reductions of 7–18%, accompanied by increased total lipid content (26–80%) . Crude protein content decreased in grilled and smoked fish and increased in pan-fried samples. Pan-frying resulted in the largest reduction in longchain n-3 PUFA, with reductions of approximately 25.2% for EPA and 20.3% for DHA (in mg/100 g wet weight), probably due to higher temperature and absorption of other fatty acids from the cooking oil. Combined EPA + DHA levels ranged from 743 to 2223 mg/100 g (wet weight), with smoked fish showing the highest values. Vitamin E exhibited substantial losses during grilling but was largely preserved during smoking, whereas astaxanthin was undetectable in the grilled samples. Vitamin D3 demonstrated moderate thermal stability. Overall, each cooking method induced distinct quantitative changes driven by moisture loss and changes in the relative proportions of individual fatty acids within the total lipids. Grilling and smoking were the most favorable for retaining long-chain n-3 PUFA and key micronutrients. Keywords: bluefish; traditional cooking; nutritive value; fatty acids; vitamins; health-benefits 1. Introduction Changing dietary preferences and greater awareness of nutritional value over the past few decades have led to increased global interest in seafood consumption. Seafood is generally recognized as a rich source of high-quality proteins [1–3] that support growth and tissue maintenance, polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), which contribute to cardiovascular protection and cognitive health [4–7] and essential vitamins and minerals that regulate key physiological processes [3,8,9] . Global fisheries and aquaculture output reached record levels in 2022, underscoring the need for strengthened and expanded strategies to ensure that aquatic foods continue to support nutrition, food security, and sustainable livelihoods. As of 2022, the global supply of seafood averaged 20.7 kg per capita which accounted for more than a 120% increase for the last 6 decades. This trend has been driven by numerous factors such as expansion of the aquaculture sector and technology, improved logistics, rising incomes and urbanizati

FAQs

How did cooking methods change the proximate composition of bluefish?

Cooking decreased moisture by 7–18% and increased total lipid content by 26–80%. Crude protein decreased in grilled and smoked fish and increased in pan-fried samples.

Which cooking method most strongly reduced long-chain n-3 PUFA?

Pan-frying caused the largest reduction in long-chain n-3 PUFA, with approximately 25.2% loss for EPA and 20.3% loss for DHA (mg/100 g wet weight).

How did grilling and smoking affect vitamin E, vitamin D3, and astaxanthin?

Vitamin E showed substantial losses during grilling but was largely preserved during smoking. Astaxanthin was undetectable in grilled samples, while vitamin D3 had moderate thermal stability.

Sep 30, 2026

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