Lipids have a complex role in the nutritional value of food. Some polyunsat
urated fatty acids, characterized as essential, are extremely important for
human health. This is primarily related to alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3),
eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). Conten
t of polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids is usually much higher in lipids of ma
rine fish than in freshwater fish. Previous investigations have shown that
muscle tissue of silver carp and bighead carp from fish farms may be a rich
source of essential fatty acids. Because of that, the objective of this wo
rk was to examine contents and composition of fatty acids and total lipids
in the muscle tissue of silver and bighead carp, with the aim to find out w
hether there are significant differences in this respect between the two sp
ecies and to what extent the harvest season can influence the composition o
f lipids in these freshwater fish. This study showed that there is no signi
ficant difference either in the content of polyunsaturated n-3 and n-6 fatt
y acids, or in the n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio in these two fish species. The
lipids of both the silver and bighead carp from the spring harvest have sig
nificantly higher contents of the n-3 acids and a significantly lower n-6/n
-3 ratio than fish from the autumn harvest.