High vitamin A content in some small indigenous fish species in Bangladesh: perspectives for food-based strategies to reduce vitamin A deficiency

Abstract

Recognising the importance of fish in the Bangladeshi diet, the objective of the present study was to screen commonly consumed fish species for vitamin A content to evaluate the potential of fish as a vitamin A source in food-based strategies to combat vitamin A deficiency. Samples of 26 commonly consumed fish species and one crustacean were collected in Kishoreganj and Mymensingh, Bangladesh. To obtain edible parts, the fish were cleaned by Bangladeshi women according to traditional practices. Distribution of vitamin A in parts of the fish and the effect of the cleaning practices on the vitamin A content in#10; edible parts were assessed. The content of vitamin A compounds was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The vitamin A content in small fish ranged from 2680 retinol equivalents (RE)/100 g raw edible parts in mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) to 20 RE/100 g raw edible parts in chata (Colisa lalia; an alternative scientific name is Colisa lalius). The vitamin A content in cultured species, silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), rui (Labeo rohita), mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was low, <30 RE/100 g raw edible parts. In mola, 90% of the vitamin A was found in the eyes and viscera. The vitamin A content in the screened fish species was highly variable, by more than a factor of 100. The existence of commonly consumed fish in Bangladesh belonging to the categories of very high and high vitamin A content offers a great unexploited potential for food-based strategies to improve the vitamin A intake by promoting the production and consumption of these species.

Flesh Estimation of Some SIS Fish

“…Cleaning practices depend on the fish species, size, and the organs accumulating the nutrients (Roos et al, 2002). So, the non-edible waste portion is not always are related with the size of the fish.…”

“…), whereas, because of hard and large bones, the bones of Taki, Baim, Shing, Magur which are also SIS fishes, are included as the waste. Eyes of SIS fishes are rich in vitamin A (Roos et al, 2002). The calcium obtained by eating whole mola fish is equivalent to the amount of calcium obtained in milk (Larsen et al, 2000).…”

Homestead pond polyculture can improve access to nutritious small fish

“…Later, different trials continued in ponds with mixed carp species and other small fish Kohinoor et al 2001;Kunda et al 2009;Milstein et al 2009;Roos et al 2007b;Roy et al 2002;Roy et al 2003;Wahab et al 2011). Notably, mola was the predominant SIS used in early trials, although there was some work on developing production technologies suitable for chela (Chela cachius), puti and to a lesser extent, darkina (Esomus danricus) Kohinoor et al 2001;Roos et al 2002a;Roy et al 2002;Roy et al 2003). The focus on mola in carp-SIS polyculture was due to the extremely high vitamin A content and therefore the potential for mola production as a food-based approach to combat the high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in Bangladesh (ICDDR et al 2013).…”

Size at Sexual Maturity of the Female Pool Barb, Puntius sophore (Cyprinidae) in the Old Brahmaputra River, North Eastern Bangladesh

“…It is an important target species for small-scale shers in Bangladesh (Shafi and Quddus, 1982;Rahman, 2005). Several studies (Thilsted et al, 1997;Roos et al, 2002;Thilsted, 2003) reported this fish as both an important food resource and a crucial source of micronutrients essential in preventing malnutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies in rural communities, particularly of vulnerable groups such as poor women and children in Bangladesh. In addition, it can also be used as an aquarium fish (Froese and Pauly, 2011).…”