This study ascertained the properties of oil
extracted from the flesh in comparison to that from
visceral oil sacs (processing waste) of farm-raised catfish
harvested at (three) 3 different age brackets. The main
aim of this research was to establish any difference
between the fatty acid profile of the oil from catfish
waste products and the edible parts. Oil was extracted
through cold maceration from both flesh and visceral oil
sacs of catfish at different ages using n-hexane. The oils
were analysed to determine the yield, physicochemical
properties, and fatty acid profile. It was found that the
visceral oil sacs contained more oil than catfish flesh. A
downward trend was observed in the yield of fish oil as
the age increased. Results also showed that all catfish oil
samples were rich in omega-3 fatty acids, but the
samples from the viscera of the 5-month-old fish
exhibited 7.2 percent and 11.4 percent concentrations of
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid
(DHA), respectively, which were comparable to the
Codex Alimentarius standards for anchovy and cod liver
oils. There was no significant difference in the omega-3
and omega-6 fatty acid profiles and oil characteristics of
fish oil from the visceral sac and flesh of catfish across
the three ages. The flesh of catfish contained a similar
concentration of omega-3 fatty acids as the visceral oil
sacs across different fish ages in the sample set analysed.
Keywords : Catfish; Fish Oil; Fatty Acids; Visceral Oil Sacs; Fish Waste