Abstract: Oils from eel liver and bone were extracted by organic solvent extraction and comparatively analyzed for differences in sensory performance, physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition. The results showed that the sensory performance of eel liver oil was better than that of eel bon oil, although both oils could reach the requirements of first-class refined fish oil stipulated in the standard SC/T 3502－2000. The content of saturated fatty acids in eel liver oil decreased compared with eel bone oil (respectively 24.3% and 34.9%). The content of monounsaturated fatty acids was similar in both oils (respectively 48.0% and 49.6%). The content of polyunsaturated fatty acids was higher in eel liver oil (12.1%) than in eel bone oil (3.3%), especially EPA (1.90% versus 0.6%) and DHA (9.0% versus 1.6%). The content of unknown fatty acids found in eel liver oil (15.7%) exhibited a slight increase compared with eel bone oil (12.1%). In conclusion, eel liver oil has higher nutritional value and better quality than eel bone oil in terms of the varieties and amount of fatty acids.

Key words: eel, fatty acids, EPA, DHA, gas chromatography