A research team from Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) evaluated recently the nutritional profile of five sea cucumber species, concluding that these are potential sources of healthy food and health beneficial metabolites for the future.
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A research team from Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) evaluated recently the nutritional profile of five sea cucumber species, concluding that these are potential sources of healthy food and health beneficial metabolites for the future.
Sea cucumbers, important food in the Indo-Pacific region and used for a long time in folk medicine of Asia and Middle East, are increasingly demanded as food and source of bioactive compounds not only in Asia, but also in America, Australia and Europe.
In this context, this study evaluated the nutritional profile of Holothuria arguinensis, H. mammata, H. polii,H. tubulosa and Eostichopus regalis and the antioxidant potential of H. arguinensis.
The composition of these species confirms the high nutritional value assumed for sea cucumbers due to the high protein compared to low lipid levels and the health promoting fatty acid profile in which omega-3 PUFAs prevail.
Overexploitation of sea cucumber stocks in the tropics has recently led to the exploitation of species from the Mediterranean and European Atlantic, but there is scarce knowledge on their adequacy for human consumption, as well as their bioactivities.
The detected bioactivities also underline the potential of sea cucumbers to contain valuable compounds for drug development and serve as source of functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Clear differences between sea cucumber species and possible links between compositional properties and environmental conditions stress out the importance to conserve not only different species but also habitats in order to protect and preserve those potential sources of food and health.
Photo: Holothuria arguinensis