Characteristics of chemical compounds of horseshoe crabs Tachypleus gigas in different body proportions

Abstract

Horseshoe crabs are a marine animal that has been widely used empirically, but in Indonesia the exact bioactive compounds are unknown. People poisoning caused by consuming horseshoe crabs has also been reported. The aims of this study was to observe the bioactive compounds in every part of horseshoe crabs which suspected to be related to toxicity. The work was conducted to measure morphometrics, to count body proportions, and to determine phytochemical compositions, toxicity, and antioxidants in different body proportions. Female horseshoe crabs with average weight more than 500 g were obtained from the waters of Lamongan Regency in July 2018. The highest proportion of the different body parts was the shell and the lowest was viscera. Edible portions of horseshoe crabs were 45.39%. Meat contains low fat 1.97% and high fat in gonads 4.87%. The solvent that produces the best extracts from the gonads was ethanol and used to extract meat, viscera, and gills. Viscera extracts were toxic with values of LC50 109.44 ppm, gonad and meat extracts have not shown to be toxic with values of LC50 1251.30 and 1101.79 ppm. Antioxidant activity of meat is weak (164.50±23.16 ppm), and gonads are very weak (330.47±02.60 ppm).