Nucleotides and free amino acids in sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus gonads: Contributions for freshness and overall taste

This study aims to report the chemical changes, specifically the nucleotides and free amino acids (FAAs) during refrigerated storage of live sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (7 degrees C) and packed gonads (2 degrees C) and respective contributions to overall taste. Results showed that the adenylate energy charge (AEC) is an adequate indicator for live sea urchin through storage, while K-value does not distinguish freshness. Changes of both indexes were not clear in packed gonads. The FAAs profile were related with maturation stage where amino acids associated to sweet (Gly, Ala), umami (Glu) and bitter (Arg, Lys, His, Val) had significant contribution to overall taste. In general, the storage did not significantly affect the FAAs content nor its contribution to overall taste in contrast to nucleotides that seemed to induce potential changes after day 5. The findings provide insights that will com-plement a full study on quality index scheme development of the products.

Automated summary

This study aims to report the chemical changes in sea urchin during refrigerated storage and their contribution to taste. The results showed that adenylate energy charge is a suitable indicator of freshness, while amino acids are related to taste and maturation stage. Storage had minimal effect on amino acids, but nucleotides showed potential changes after day 5.