Nucleotides and free amino acids in sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus gonads: Contributions for freshness and overall taste

•The nucleotides and FAAs were determined in sea urchin gonads through storage.•AEC index was a good indicator regarding evaluation of live sea urchin freshness.•K-value did not allow differentiate quality grades.•The FAAs content were not affected by storage time.•The contributions of the nucleotides and FAAs to the overall taste was assessed. This study aims to report the chemical changes, specifically the nucleotides and free amino acids (FAAs) during refrigerated storage of live sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (7 °C) and packed gonads (2 °C) and respective contributions to overall taste. Results showed that the adenylate energy charge (AEC) is an adequate indicator for live sea urchin through storage, while K-value does not distinguish freshness. Changes of both indexes were not clear in packed gonads. The FAAs profile were related with maturation stage where amino acids associated to sweet (Gly, Ala), umami (Glu) and bitter (Arg, Lys, His, Val) had significant contribution to overall taste. In general, the storage did not significantly affect the FAAs content nor its contribution to overall taste in contrast to nucleotides that seemed to induce potential changes after day 5. The findings provide insights that will complement a full study on quality index scheme development of the products.