Carotenoids in Pearl Oyster Pinctada fucata: The tissue distribution and correlation to color parameters

Abstract

The pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata, is an economically important and carotenoid-containing bivalve shellfish that is cultured for pearls and acts as a source of seafood. To investigate the distribution of carotenoids in P. fucata and establish a more efficient method to assess carotenoid contents, we measured the carotenoid levels in selectively bred P. fucata individuals of different colors and analyzed the correlations between TCC (total carotenoid content) and color parameters. The percentage of total carotenoids in the adductor, gill, mantle, and visceral mass was 6.50%, 10.79%, 15.11% and 67.61%, respectively. Generally, the tissue-specific carotenoid distribution is ranked in the order being adductor < mantle < gill < visceral mass. Significant correlations were found between TCC and the color parameters, with the highest fit (r = 0.908) in the Pearson’s correlation between the color parameter, a* (red degree), and TCC of the adductor. Measuring the a* is, therefore, likely to be an appropriate, rapid, reliable, and nondestructive method to estimate TCC in bivalves.