ABSTRACT
The proximate composition, mineral content and fatty acid profiles of 20 species of fish commonly found in the coasts of Oman were investigated. The protein content of most of the studied species exceeded 20% and the fat content of all species was less than 5.9%. Almost all samples had greater amounts of unsaturated fatty acids [MUFA's and PUFA's] than saturated fatty acids. MUFA's ranged from 17.4 to 32.4% of the total fatty acids with C18: 1 predominant, and PUFA's ranged from 18.9 to 50.5 with C22: 6 predominant. Calcium and magnesium were the most abundant minerals with lower level of Fe and Zn. The range of Ca in all species was between 138 +/- 17 and 935 +/- 26 ppm and Mg between 248 +/- 22 and 536 +/- 36 ppm. The importance of fish as a healthy food may be affected by the method of cooking. Therefore, the composition of 6 fish dishes commonly consumed in Oman was also investigated