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Wesafu is an indigenous ecotype cichlid and a very important part of the fisheries of Epe lagoon in Lagos Nigeria. Investigation of the amino acids composition of tissue and blood samples of Wesafu, T. zillii and O. niloticus using paper chromatography (Ranjna, 1999) was conducted. Only 14 amino acids (Alanine, Cysteine, Asphatic acid, Phenylalanine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Leucine, Methionine, Threonine, Valine, Tryptophan, Glutamic acid) were analyzed. In the muscles, 11 amino acids were identified with alanine, guanine and methionine absent in all three fish tissue sampled. Phenylalanine, isoleucine and valine were absent in O. niloticus but present in Wesafu and T. zillii while Tryptophan and Glutamic acid were present in O. niloticus but absent in the tissues of Wesafu and T. zillii. However, all 14 AA assayed were present in different proportions in the blood samples of the three species. This report further suggests that the Wesafu is different from either of the two species and warrant species identification at a level of molecular biology. |
