Food quality and safety of Mediterranean sea cucumbers Holothuria tubulosa and Holothuria polii in Southern Adriatic Sea.

摘要

The nutritional quality and safety of sea cucumbers of the species Holothuria tubulosa (HT) and H. polii (HP) collected in the Italian Southern Adriatic Sea were investigated. 300 sea cucumbers (150 of each species) were collected in the spring of 2008 and analysed for proximate composition, fatty acids composition, amino acids composition and heavy metals content. Proximate composition was similar in both species: HT - dry matter 16.19%, crude protein 44.58% and ash 46.43%; HP - dry matter 22.03%, crude protein 36.99% and ash 48.22%. Lipid content was very low in both species and PUFA, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and eicosatrienoic acid, predominated among the fatty acids identified. Glutamic acid, glycine and aspartic acid were the most abundant amino acids. In terms of food safety, heavy metals concn. in the sea cucumbers analysed were under the limits prescribed by Italian legislation. It is concluded that HT and HP can be considered as a suitable sea foods for human consumption.