Distribution of Bromophenols in Species of Marine Polychaetes and Bryozoans from Eastern Australia and the Role of Such Animals in the Flavor of Edible Ocean Fish and Prawns (Shrimp)

Abstract

Sixteen species (44 samples) of marine polychaetes and 10 species (14 samples) of bryozoans from eastern Australia were analyzed by GC/MS for the key seafood flavor components 2- and 4-bromophenol, 2, 4- and 2,6-dibromophenol, and 2,4,6-tribromophenol. All five bromophenols were found in 91% of polychaetes and 64% of bryozoans. The remaining samples all contained at least three bromophenols. 2,4, 6-Tribromophenol was found in all polychaetes and bryozoans and, with few exceptions, was present in the highest concentrations. The total bromophenol content determined on a wet-weight basis varied widely between species: for polychaetes, from 58 ng/g for Australonuphis teres to 8.3 million ng/g for Barantolla lepte, and for bryozoans, from 36 ng/g for Cladostephus spongiosus to 1668 ng/g for Amathia wilsoni. Species of polychaetes with the highest concentrations of bromophenols were all collected from muddy environments. The possible effects that dietary polychaetes and bryozoans have on the ocean-, brine-, or iodine-like flavors of certain seafoods are discussed.

Nutritional status of a nereidid polychaete cultured in sand filters of mariculture wastewater

“…For humans, low levels in food (1-10 ng g À1 ) are considered desirable, but excessive levels are unpalatable, and their use in aquaculture feeds to enhance product flavour is a recent development (Fuller et al 2008). Levels found in P. helleri in the present study were on the lower end of the very broad range of values found for many other species in eastern Australia (see Whitfield et al 1999).…”

“…Arginine (45 g kg À1 DM) was the fourth most prevalent amino acid in our P. helleri and the most prevalent amino acid found by Marsden et al (1992) for both of those other species (59-60 g kg À1 DM). Brominated phenols are other functional compounds that have been found in many polychaete species (Whitfield et al 1999). They are thought to be used by lower marine organisms for deterrence and chemical defence and have also been found to have a range of other biological activities including antioxidant and antibacterial effects .…”

Do brominated natural products defend marine worms from consumers? Some do, most don’t

“…We acquired 4-bromophenol, 2,4-dibromophenol, 2,6-dibromophenol, 2,4,6-tribromophenol, and bromohydroquinone from Sigma-Aldrich and incorporated them into squid paste. All metabolites were tested at a natural concentration reported in the literature: 4-bromophenol (4200 ng g Ϫ1 wet tissue mass from Glycera americana from Australia, Whitfield et al 1999); 2,4-dibromophenol (13.4 mol g Ϫ1 wet tissue mass from S. bromophenolosus, King et al 1995); 2,6-dibromophenol (2.84 ϫ 10 Ϫ6 g ml Ϫ1 tissue from B. aurantiacus, Kicklighter unpubl. data); 2,4,6-tribromophenol (10.4 mg per 930 g wet tissue mass from Balanoglossus carnosus, Higa et al 1980); bromohydroquinone (458 mg per 1.2 kg wet tissue mass from Glossobalanus sp., Higa et al 1980).…”

Chronic exposure to environmental levels of tribromophenol impairs zebrafish reproduction

“…Owing to their lipophilicity, these compounds can bioaccumulate in the food chain (Whitfield et al, 1998(Whitfield et al, , 1999Chung et al, 2003;Vetter and Janussen, 2005). In the light of the potential endocrine-disrupting activity of these compounds, there is very little information on the ecotoxicological effects of bromophenols.…”