LIPIDS CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURED SEA CUCUMBER, Apostichopus japonicus

Anisuzzaman Md1, Feng Jin1, Hak Sun Yu2, Seung-Wan Kang3,
Byong-dae Choi1and Seok-joong kang1*
 
1Department of Seafood and Aquaculture Science, Gyeongsang National University
2Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University
3Fisheries Resources Research Institute, Gyeongsangnam-do
sjkang@gnu.ac.kr

Fatty acids were used as functional markers to evaluate sea cucumber to improve asthma symptoms. Two specimen of sea cucumber were used in this study. One sample of Apostichopus japonicus was caught at the coast of Tongyeong i.e. natural sea cucumber and another sample was brought from Gyeongsangnam-do, Fisheries Resources Research Institute i.e. cultured sea cucumber. Sea cucumber total lipids were extracted by method of Bligh and Dyer(1959). Fractionation of the total lipids (TL) into neutral and polar lipids (NL and PL) was carried out by SEP-PAK column. Lipids were saponified by refluxing with 1N NaOH/MeOH for 8 min and Methyl esters were purified by heating in sealed tube at 100℃ for 11 min with 7% BF3-MeOH. Fatty acid compositions were analyzed using a Glarus 600 (Perkin Elmer, USA) gas chromatograph, with a flame ionization detector (FID) and OmegawaxTM-320 capillary column (SUPELCO, USA). Unknown fatty acids were identified by using a GC-MS (Agilent 7890A&5975C GC/MSD), with a DB-5MS column (Agilent J&W). The results of the present study suggested that cultured sea cucumber, A. japonicus contains comparatively higher amount of Ʃn-6 fatty acids than wild sea cucumber. If we want to get more Ʃn-6 fatty acids containing sea cucumber, we have to culture. By feeding commercial feed (mainly use sea weed), sea cucumbers have high level of Ʃn-6 fatty acids and low Ʃn-3 fatty acids. But for asthma Ʃn-3 fatty acids is very important. Therefore, we concluded that the feed ingredients might be changed to get the higher amount of Ʃn-3 fatty acids.

Apostichopus japonicus; Fatty acid