Utilization of cartilaginous fish, unused resource in fisheries by taking advantage of functionality of chondroitin sulfate

Abstract

Whip stingray (Dasyatis akajei) is unused resource in fisheries of Tokyo bay. Cartilaginous fish including stingray contain chondroitin sulfate (CS) in cartilage. CS has functionality as suppression of joint pain, stiff shoulder and dry eye and so on. We have investigated CS content of cartilage in edible part of stingray caught in Tokyo bay. Average CS contents of whip stingray's cartilages were 8.83 mg/g to be equal to double amount of blue shark's spine used as major material of CS for pharmaceuticals. High content of CS of stingray's cartilage can be used as appeal element for utilization as healthy food. So Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Fisheries research center of Chiba prefecture and Algamarina Co. Ltd. have collaborated and developed new product containing CS made from whip stingray. In tasting test of the new product, it was asked by a lot of people that how amount of intake of the new product was need for maintain health caused by CS. So it was necessary to elucidate functional mechanism of CS taken by new food product.