Abstract
Sea urchin gonads are a delicious seafood item of high commercial value. Our past studies have revealed that the gonads of the sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus fed the basal frond portion of fresh Saccharina kelp (BS) or the sporophylls of fresh Undaria (SU) during May–July are of high-quality. The present study investigated the flavor and taste of BS and SU gonads in comparison with those from non-fed M. nudus (NF) using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography (GC)-sniffing techniques, and a taste-sensing system. Data of the estimated intensity of taste (EIT) were compared with assessment of gonads from M. nudus collected from an Eisenia bed (fishing ground) and a barren in July. Gonads from both BS and SU released pleasant green, sour, and fruity aromas characteristic of butyl acetate, which are here recognized essential flavor components of high-quality gonads. The gonads of BS and SU had a strong umami taste compared to those of NF, and the Eisenia bed and the barren. The most marketable M. nudus gonads were assessed to be those with green and fruity aromas from butyl acetate, sweet aroma from benzaldehyde, umami EIT > 13.8, bitterness EIT < 3.1, and without any unpleasant sulfurous odor from sulfur-containing compounds.
Highlights
Sea urchin gonads are a premium delicacy of high commercial value [1]
The aim of the present study is to assess analyses of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and gas chromatography (GC)-sniffing techniques and a taste-sensing system to provide more rigorous evaluation of gonad flavor and taste, as a contribution to providing an objective standard by which to measure the quality of sea urchin gonads
A larger number of odor-active compounds were detected in gonads of BS and sporophylls of fresh Undaria (SU) than those of no food (NF)
Summary
Sea urchin gonads are a premium delicacy of high commercial value [1]. Fresh sea urchin gonad is an important item of Japanese “sushi” cuisine. Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market is the largest wholesale sea urchin market in the world [2], where the average price of sea urchin gonads doubled from 7306 JPY·kg−1 in 2008 to 14,683 JPY·kg−1 in 2018 [3]. Sensors 2020, 20, 7008; doi:10.3390/s20247008 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors increase in global fish and shellfish consumption in the last decades [4], and the initiation from 2012 of imports of live, fresh and chilled sea urchin into Europe and Oceania [5], indicate an increase in worldwide popularity of sea urchin. No quantitative or qualitative standard for sea urchin gonad has been established.
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