International Journal of Agriculture S c i e n c e s ISSN: 0975-3710 & E-ISSN: 0975-9107, Volume 7, Issue 9, 2015, pp.-671-677. Available online at http://www.bioinfopublication.org/jouarchive.php?opt=&jouid=BPJ0000217 TILAPIA AS FOOD FISH: ENHANCEMENT OF Ω-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN TILAPIA (Oreochromis spp.) CHAVAN B.R.1*, YAKUPITIYAGE A.2, ATAGUBA G.A., KAMBLE M.T.2 AND MEDHE S.V.2 1Marine Biological Research Station (Dr. BSKKV), Ratnagiri, (MS), India 2Aquaculture and Aquatic Resource Management(AARM), Food, Agriculture and Bio-system Cluster (FABS), School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani-12120, Thailand. *Corresponding author e-mail:
[email protected] Received: September 21, 2015; Revised: October 20, 2015; Accepted: October 21, 2015 Abstract- A plethora of literature exist regarding the health benefits of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to man. Human evolution pa ssed through a stage where ω-3: ω-6 PUFA ratio was 1 but with modernization this ratio has decreased in favour of ω-6 PUFA with attendant increases in inflammatory diseases. This review therefore focused on the importance of tilapia as a food fish in human diets and a cursory look at the metabolism of PUFA as well as existing protocols for incorporation in the flesh of tilapia and other food animals with a view to understanding protocols for increased incorporation in tilapia flesh as well as expected benefits. Dietary supplementation ω-3 PUFA: docosahexaenoic acid and eicosa pentaenoic acid (DHA and EPA), as found in fish oil, have been shown to decrease plasma triacylglycerols in humans, which helps to prevent atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.