Proximate Composition and Fatty Acid and Cholesterol Content of Squid, Loligo pealei and Illex illecebrosus

The wide range of cholesterol values given in the literature for Loligo pealei and Illex illecebrosus is confusing to people who are designing low cholesterol diets for health purposes. These species were analyzed for proximate composition, fatty acid content, and cholesterol content in order to provide information to consumers and health care professionals. A sampling of both species of squid over a 2-yr period revealed that cholesterol values ranged from about 110 mg up to 450 mg/100g raw tissue with no apparent correlation with season or location of catch. The wide range of values, therefore, seems to reflect natural occurences. Omega-3 fatty acids make up over 50% of the total fatty acids, but these squid, because they are low in fat (about 1.5%), contribute only about 0.5g of these fatty acids per 100g in the diet.