The influence of season, gender and sexual maturity on the biochemical composition (moisture, protein, total lipids, triglycerides, cholesterol, phospholipids, free amino acids, glucose and glycogen) of gonads from the endemic New Zealand sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus was investigated. Gonads were obtained from urchins during the austral autumn, winter, summer and spring, over a 23-month period. Biochemical differences between genders were less pronounced in autumn (March to May) and winter (June to August) when more nutritive cells were present in the gonads, and more distinct over spring (September to November) and summer (December to February) months as the gametogenic cells matured, thus highlighting the importance of assessing testes and ovaries separately during biochemical analysis. Differences in the biochemical composition of testes and ovaries were the least pronounced during autumn, which suggests this will be the best season to harvest E. chloroticus in order to enhance taste and flavour, and reduce variability.
Sea urchin gonads also known as roe or uni are a high-valued food, considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. To determine the impact of stress caused by exposure of live urchins to air on the subsequent shelf-life of recovered gonads, urchins (Evechinus chloroticus) were held in air at either 4°C for 144 h or 15°C for 72h. The coelomic fluid of urchins held in air showed a decrease in pH and increase in lactic acid concentration, percentage solid, turbidity level, colour and coelomocyte numbers. Gonads recovered from urchins held in air exhibited enhanced rates of deterioration over time, as assessed by a loss of surface definition and a decrease in their water-holding capacity and height-to-surface ratio (melting). Gonad deterioration was minimised by implementing a brine + alum wash upon immediate removal of gonads from live urchins. This research has shown that the manner in which live urchins are held and processed has a dramatic impact on the subsequent shelf-life and quality of the recovered gonads.Gonad quality due to handling and processing W. Verachia et al.
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