Mineral Composition of Fresh and Cured Jellyfish

The inorganic constituents of fresh and cured jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum), including Zn, Co, Ni, Ba, Mn, Fe, Mg, Ca, Cu, Al, Sr, Mo, Cr, Cd, Pb, Si, V, Ti, Na, K, Li, and Rb, were determined by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The fresh and cured jellyfish were treated by lyophilization and microwave digestion in turn. Zn, Co, Fe, Mg, Ca, Al, Sr, Cr, Li, and K were used as the added standards to evaluate accuracy. The results show that different parts of jellyfish, such as the umbrella, oral arms, and gonads, contain different amounts of inorganic elements. The relative standard deviation values (RSD) of all elements range from 0.8% to 8.6%. For most of determined elements, RSD values are under 5%. All inorganic elements of the jellyfish can be determined simultaneously after once dissolution. The method is accurate, rapid, and convenient to determine inorganic constituents of the biological sample containing high water content.