TITLE:
Odor-Active Volatile Compounds from the Gonads of the Sea Urchin Mesocentrotus nudus in the Wild in Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan
AUTHORS:
Yoichi Sato, Satomi Takagi, Eri Inomata, Yukio Agatsuma
KEYWORDS:
Sea Urchin, Mesocentrotus nudus, Gonad Flavor, GC/MS, Sniffing Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.10 No.7,
July
31,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background and Aims: Mesocentrotus nudus is commercially harvested from shallow rocky bottoms in northern Japan.
The gonads are targeted as an edible product. The objective of this study was
to identify odor-active volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the gonads of
adult M. nudus collected at a fishing ground in Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan. Methods
and Results: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and gas
chromatography-sniffing techniques identified 42 compounds categorized as
alcohols, aldehydes, aromatic hydrocarbons, esters, halomethanes, hydrocarbons,
ketones, sulfur-containing compounds, and nitrogen-containing compounds.
GC-sniffing analysis characterized four compounds with preferable odors of sea
urchin gonads; limonene, propyl acetate, acetone, dibromochloromethane. On the other hand, the analysis characterized
three compounds with unpreferable odors; methyl mercaptane,
dimethyl sulfide, and s-methyl thioacetate. Several VOCs from the gonads were
derived from seaweeds, terrestrial plants, and fish flesh as food because M. nudus is omnivorous. Conclusion: This is the first study to identify
VOCs from edible sea urchin gonads in the wild in Japan. These VOC data
comprise a typical standard in order to evaluate a higher quality of sea urchin
gonads.