Yeim ÃâZOUL
The objective of the present study was to determine the chemical composition and meat yield for both sexes of adult cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, in the Mersin Bay, East Mediterranean. The results of meat yield showed that meat yield of adult male cuttlefish were higher than those of the female. The levels of protein ranged from 22.15% to 22.20%, lipid from 0.86% to 1.01%, and water from 74.97% to 75.30%, total mineral substance (TMS) from 1.68% to 1.69% for mantle of female and male cuttlefish. Moreover, there were not variations in protein, lipid, water and TMS content of mantle tissues of both adult females and males (p>0.05). The levels of saturated fatty acids (SFA) ranged from 29.49% to 29.88%, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) from 10.97% to 11.40%, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from 52.27% to 53.42% for both of the sexes. In the present study, the major fatty acids found in S. officinalis were palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3). Statistically, there were no significant differences in DHA concentrations in mantle tissue of male and female cuttlefish (p>0.05). Besides, EPA concentrations in mantle of female cuttlefish were higher than those of the male (p0.05). Cu content of female cuttlefish was sig-nificantly higher (p
