2023 Volume 71 Issue 1 Pages 31-43
We examined the influence of total suspended solids (TSS) on the color and microstructure of shell nacre in freshwater mussel Sinanodonta woodiana for efficient half-pearl production. In conditions with a high TSS concentration (>10 mg/l) correlated with abundant freckles in the nacre (R = 0.51; p < 0.001), which appeared nearly round and were 0.5 ± 0.2 mm in size. Mussels from a high TSS concentration showed a thin whole nacre layer (250.9 ± 4.3 µm), thin nacre tablet thickness (0.43 ± 0.01 µm), lowest yellowness index (7.8 ± 0.7), and brightness (56.6 ± 0.4). In contrast, conditions with a low TSS concentration (<10 mg/l), the inner shell produced few freckles, a thick whole nacre layer (554.1 ± 3.8 µm), thick tablet nacre thickness (0.50 ± 0.01 µm), and strong gold color. Based on the present results, a TSS concentration of <10 mg/l is recommended for freshwater half-pearl aquaculture in Indonesia.
