Abstract
The Mediterranean basin is one of the regions heavily affected by jellyfish bloom phenomena, mainly due to the presence of scyphozoans, such as Rhizostoma pulmo. The jellyfish have few natural predators, and their bodies represent an organic-rich substrate that can support rapid bacterial growth with great impact on the structure of marine food webs. In Asiatic countries, jellyfish are widely studied for their health benefits, but their nutritional and nutraceutical values still remain poorly characterized. In this study, the differences in the 1H NMR spectroscopy metabolic profiles of R. pulmo female gonads and body fractions (including umbrella and oral arms), in different sampling periods, were studied. For each body compartment both lipid and aqueous extracts were characterized and their 1H NMR metabolic profiles subjected to multivariate analysis. From a statistical analysis of the extracts, a higher contents of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), amino acid and osmolytes (homarine, betaine, taurine) with important roles in marine invertebrates were observed in female gonads, whereas umbrella and oral arms showed similar metabolic profiles. These results support a sustainable exploitation of the jellyfish for the extraction of bioactive compounds useful in nutraceutical, nutricosmetics, and functional food fields.
Highlights
Jellyfish represent one of the most widespread components of marine ecosystems and their presence as a natural phenomenon is strictly related to seasonality
Representative 1D 1 H NMR spectra of lipid and aqueous extracts of female gonads and somatic tissues of R. pulmo are shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively
The NMR aqueous spectra of R. pulmo body compartments were characterized by essential amino acids, such as branched-chain isoleucine, leucine and valine, threonine, and no-essential amino acids
Summary
Jellyfish represent one of the most widespread components of marine ecosystems and their presence as a natural phenomenon is strictly related to seasonality. Numerous outbreaks (or blooms) of jellyfish have been recorded in many marine areas worldwide [1]. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most heavily affected by jellyfish blooms, mainly due to the presence of scyphozoans, in particular of Rhizostoma pulmo (Macri, 1778), known as “white barrel”. This species has been the most abundant along the Mediterranean coasts in recent. During blooming years in the Mediterranean Sea, R. pulmo occurred in large numbers in several places, for example, the Northern and Southern Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea, in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, as well as in the Black
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