Abstract Though myctophids (Family: Myctophidae) are the most predominant mesopelgic fishes available in Western and Eastern Indian Ocean, they are the least utilized fishery resources. Myctophids constitute a substantial quantity of the discards of deep-sea shrimp trawlers operating off South-west coast of India. As most of the conventional fish stocks have reached a state of full exploitation or over- exploitation, efficient utilization of mesopelagic resources is necessary to fill in the supply-demand gap for fish-based products. An attempt has been initiated to compare the nutritional composition, minerals, trace elements, fatty acid and amino acid profiling of two myctophid species viz., Diaphus effulgens and D. hudsoni with commonly available Indian food fishes (Sardinella longiceps, Mugil cephalus and Rastrelliger kanagurta). Proximate composition indicate that protein and lipid levels in these myctophid fishes are comparable to that of the selected food fishes. These myctophids contained n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and essential amino acids in significant proportions. Results of the present study show that D. effulgens and D. hudsoni are potential resources of nutrients required for the formulation of nutritional supple- ments for human healthcare. Keywords: Myctophids, nutritional composition, n-3 PUFA, amino acid composition Received 04 September 2013; Revised 27 May 2014; Accepted 01 June 2014 * E-mail: tjosefernandez@gmail.com 1 Present Address: Export Inspection Agency, Mumbai, Sub Office, Veraval - 362 265, India 2 Present Address: Central Institute of Fisheries, Nautical & Engineering Training, Visakhapatnam - 530 001, India Comparison of Nutritional Characteristics of Myctophid Fishes (Diaphus effulgens and D. hudsoni) with Common Indian Food Fishes T. Jose Fernandez 1 *, K. Pradeep 2 , R. Anandan, A. A. Zynudheen and T. V. Sankar Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, P. O. Matsyapuri, Cochin -682 029, India Fishery Technology 51 (2014) : 173 - 178 © 2014 Society of Fisheries Technologists (India) Introduction World per capita food fish supply increased from an average of 9.9 kg (live weight equivalent) in the 1960s to 18.6 kg in 2010 (FAO, 2012a). With the increasing global population, in order to maintain at least the current level of per-capita consumption an additional 23 million t of fish will be required by 2020 (FAO, 2012b). As most of the conventional fish stocks have reached a state of full exploitation or over-exploitation, efficient utilization of underutilized resources is necessary to fill in the supply-demand gap for fish-based products. Meso- pelagic fishes can be considered to be one such promising resource of fish protein, if efficient harvest and post-harvest technologies are evolved for them (Boopendranath et al., 2009). Stock sizes of mesopelagic fishes, in which myctophids (Family: Myctophidae) are predominant constituents, have been re-estimated as 263 and 102 million t, in the Western Indian Ocean and Eastern Indian Ocean, respectively (Lam & Pauly, 2005). Gopakumar et al. (1983) stated that myctophid fishes commonly known as lantern fishes resemble most marine fish with regard to its biochemical constituents and can be exploited for formulation of various food products for both man and animals. Various studies (Nair et al., 1983; Noguchi, 2004; Olsen et al., 2010; Rajamoorthy et al., 2013) show that myctophids can be utilized for the production of commercial fishery products like fish meal, fish oil, fish silage, surimi, seasoning products, feed for cultured fish, nutrient resource in the formulation of poultry feed as well as crop fertilizers and products like lubricating oil, cosmetics and wax. Boopendranath et al. (2009) and Pillai et al. (2009) have shown that commercial exploitation of deep- sea prawns off South-west coast of India yields a considerable amount of bycatch, in which myctophids contribute a major component. These myctophids