| Abstract: | Oil from skipjack tuna (ST) eyeballs is extracted by the wet rendering method at 121 °C for different holding times (5–60 min) using an autoclave. Yield increases as heating time increases up to 20 min (p < 0.05); no further increase is obtained with a longer heating time (p > 0.05). Conversely, acid value and total polar compounds increase. However, peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and anisidine value (AnV) decrease up to 30 min. No changes in unsaponifiable matter (UM) or conjugated diene (CD) are attained, regardless of heating time. Polar components (PC) increase with heating time (p < 0.05). All oil samples have a high polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content (40.46–41.00%), with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the range of 20.94–21.26% and 37.77–38.45%, respectively. PUFA content is reduced slightly with a heating time of 60 min. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (C22:6, n3) is the dominant fatty acid in all samples (31.67–32.24%). Based on FTIR spectra, heating for longer time results in lower intensity at wavenumbers of 3015 and 1740 cm?1. Thus, light yellow oil from ST eyeballs prepared by a green process for an appropriate time can serve as an excellent source of DHA and other PUFA. Practical Applications: Tuna oil is known to be a rich source of DHA and PUFA with health benefits. However, precooked tuna heads, generally used as raw material, yield oils with a very dark color and offensive odor, which require several refinery processes. To reduce the number of steps in the refinery process, tuna eyeballs which are separated from tuna heads can render higher quality fish oil. Moreover, the wet rendering process, a green process without toxic substances, can be used without causing environmental problems. |
