FRESENIUS ENVIRONMENTAL BULLETIN, cilt.28, sa.5, ss.4232-4237, 2019 (SCI-Expanded)
This study was investigated the proximate composition and histological evaluation of frozen and dried of sea cucumbers. Approximately100 of Holothuria polii (HP) and Holothuria tubulosa (HT) samples from Aegean Sea in Izmir (Turkey) were used in this study. All of the sea cucumbers were frozen and dried. Their water, ash, protein, and fat contents were measured prior to and after processing. The obtained results showed that the values of protein, fat and ash of the freeze and dry samples of HP and HT significantly (P<0.05). Also the values of moisture, fat and ash of the HP wet samples and HT wet samples varied significantly (P<0.05). The highest values of protein (19.17%) HT frozen samples, (66.32%) HT dried samples and fat (6.31%) HT dried samples and ash (7.78%) HP frozen samples, (22.57%) HP dried samples were investigated. According to the histological evaluation, HP frozen samples; the cell size was smaller than the fresh sample, larger than the dried sample, the connective tissue was irregular and the intercellular space was more found. Therefore, sea cucumbers would be a good basis for frozen utilization of food industries as low cost resource.