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