Effect of Processing on Proximate Composition and Mineral Content of Sea Cucumbers (Parastichopus spp.)

The nutrient content, texture and holothurin content of two sea cucumber species were determined for fresh, dried and canned products. Fresh sea cucumber contained 89–91% moisture, 5–6% protein, 0.3% fat, 3% ash and 0.3% carbohydrate; dried sea cucumber contained 2–6% moisture, 61–70% protein, 2–3% fat, 16–24% ash, and 2–3% carbohydrate. Fresh sea cucumber contained 90 mg of holothurin per 100g of tissue. Canned sea cucumber contained moisture and protein levels similar to those generally found in marine finfish. Processing methods for canned sea cucumber resulted in a significant (P<0.01) decrease in potassium and increase in sodium. No significant differences (P<0.01) were found in the texture of canned products made from fresh-cooked, salted-cooked and cooked-dried raw material.