A comparative analysis of lipid and carotenoid composition of the gonads of Anthocidaris crassispina, Diadema setosum and Salmacis sphaeroides

In this study, sea urchins Anthocidaris crassispina, Diadema setosum and Salmacis sphaeroides inhabiting the coastal area of Hong Kong were collected and their gonadal biochemical compositions determined and compared for the first time. The proximate nutritional composition of all species exhibited an order of lipid > protein > carbohydrate. Neutral lipid was the major lipid constituent, accounting for over 80% of the total lipid. The major fatty acids in neutral lipid fraction of the three urchins were C14:0, C16:0, C16:1 (n-7), C18:1 (n-7) and C20:5 (n-3), whereas those in the polar lipid fraction were C16:0, C16:4 (n-4), C20:4 (n-6) and C20:5 (n-3). The dominant carotenoid was echinenone, which accounted for 81.7%, 56.7% and 68.5% of the total carotenoids in A. crassispina, D. setosum and S. sphaeroides, respectively.