Sea Cucumber ( Isostichopus sp. aff badionotus) Dry-Salting Protocol Design

Abstract

Sea cucumbers are common foods in Asian culture. They are commonly eaten as dry-salted. Thus, a dry-salting protocol for cucumbers includes the pro-cesses of: gutting, cooking, salting, drying and packing. Drying trials were conducted at 50˚C and 60˚C in an oven and air-dried, with no difference (P > 0.05) in yield observed between them. Protein content varied depending on the type of drying, while fat content did not change significantly (P > 0.05). Final yield ranged between 5% to 7% of initial mass, with the main losses in mass (due to water loss) registered in the gutting and cooking stages. The sea cucumbers dried in an oven at 60°C reached the humidity goal faster and there were statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between the times tested. The slope of each drying curve for each temperature showed evidence of rapid loss of mass. Microbiological analysis demonstrated that the con-sumption of dried sea cucumbers does not represent risks to the human health. As a native species, dry-salted Isostichopus sp. aff badionotus is for consumers a viable alternative source of protein.