Abstract:In the present study, the concentrations of protein, fat, and crude polysaccharide were determined in the body wall of three body color variants of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka), along with the composition of fatty acids and amino acid microelements. The results showed that the protein content in green sea cucumbers was significantly lower than in purple and white sea cucumbers (P<0.05), the fat content showed no significant differences (P>0.05), and the crude polysaccharide contents in green and purple sea cucumbers were higher than in white sea cucumbers (P< 0.05). A total of 17 amino acids were determined in the sea cucumbers, with the purple and white sea cucumbers containing higher amino acid contents (about 48%), while the contents in the green sea cucumber was about 44%. The contents of amino acids such as lysine, phenylalanine, threonine, and valine in purple and white sea cucumbers were significantly higher than in green sea cucumbers. The linoleic acid (LA), arachidonate (ARA), timnodonic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had higher proportions than other polyunsaturated fatty acids in the three sea cucumbers. As an important polyunsaturated fatty acid, LA in both the purple and white sea cucumbers was significantly higher than in green sea cucumbers (by 4.6 times, P<0.05). The ARA contents in purple and white sea cucumbers were also significantly higher than in green sea cucumbers, while the EPA and DHA contents were significantly lower (P<0.05). Additionally, we found that iron was the highest among the inorganic elements in all sea cucumbers, but was significantly lower in purple sea cucumbers than in green and white sea cucumbers. The manganese content in green sea cucumbers was significantly higher than in purple and white sea cucumbers, and chromium was significantly higher in white sea cucumbers than in green and purple sea cucumbers. Therefore, the nutritional composition of the three body color variants of sea cucumbers were quite different, and all of them have values for further development and utilization.
