Changes in the levels of ATP-related compounds and lactic acid in the muscle of live prawn Penaeus japonicus kept in the sawdust at 15C° were investigated to find an index suitable for evalua-tion of parwn activity during the transportation in the sawdust.
The concentration of ATP in the muscle markedly decreased after storage of 48h, resulting in a rapid increase in the AMP level. The level of lactic acid in the muscle also gradually increased during storage in the sawdust. The ratio of ATP to the ATP-related compounds (the total nu-cleotides) in the muscle which colsely related with the survival rate of prawn was found to be sui-table as a criterion to evaluate the activity of prawn during transportation in the sawdust.
The levels of the ATP-related compounds in the muscle of prawn kept in the sawdust recovered to their original levels within 1h after they were returned to the sea.