2021 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 319-327
The proximate composition and the fatty acids (FA) profile of the two tropical sea cucumbers, i.e., Isostichopus badionotus and Holothuria floridana were analyzed. We observed higher crude protein in I. badionotus (41.7%) than H. floridana (30.2%) and more calcium content in I. badionotus (10.7 mg/g) than H. floridana (6.0 mg/g). The FAs profile of I. badionotus was 52.9% saturated FA (SFA), 30.8% monounsaturated FA (MUFA), and 16.3% polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), with a high abundance of palmitic acid (28.2%). H. floridana showed 7.4 mg/g of phosphorus, and 43.6% PUFA, which were higher than I. badionotus. H. floridana has 34.9% SFA, and 21.5% MUFA. The most important PUFAs were linoleic, arachidonic (ARA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA). ARA content in H. floridana was 58% higher (24.9%) than I. badionotus (10.4%). Both species had low docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); however, the ΣEPA, DHA of H. floridana (11.2%) was higher than I. badionotus (1.80%).
