Variations in the proximate composition of the sea cucumber, Isostichopus sp. aff badionotus

Holothurians or Sea cucumbers are animals belonging to the phylum Echinodermata, which in recent decades have become important, mainly because they are considered in Asian countries as a high-quality food product, with pharmaceutical properties and high economic value. This has led to the overexploitation of this resource in several countries, including Colombia. Several studies worldwide affirm that sea cucumbers have a high nutritional content. However, there is not much information on the species of commercial interest exploited in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the variation of the proximate composition of sea cucumber, Isostichopus sp. aff badionotus in the Colombian Caribbean region of Santa Marta, depending on the collection area, climatic season and maturity stage. Wild sea cucumbers were collected from Rodadero and Taganga Bays, and its muscle was processed. The protein, moisture and ash contents were determined in the ranges of 3.33-7.21%; 89.17-93.26%; 3.1-3.97%, respectively. Significant differences were observed amongst months and the collection area in relation to these values, nevertheless, fat percentage (0.03 to 0.07%) did not register significant differences. The GSI varied significantly between the collection area and months (0.06 and 10.44%). Nutritional quality of the muscle of Isostichopus sp. aff badionotus is similar to that obtained in other sea cucumbers of interest marketed worldwide.