• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.159-164
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• 2003

Effect of the benthic echiurid Urechis unicinctus juveniles on the chemical characteristics of organically enriched sediment, as well as the individual survival rate and growth in various sediments, was investigated in this study to ascertain the effectiveness of U. unicinctus in the bioremediation of organically polluted sediment. The content of acid volatile sulfide (AVS) in the sediment of three coastal areas was 0.4±0.1 mg/gㆍdry sediment in Seonso, 0.1±0.01 mg/gㆍdry sediment in Myo-do, 0.02±0.01 mg/gㆍdry sediment in Dolsan-do, respectively. 500 juveniles with average body length of 1.2±0.3 mm were bred in these sediments. After 30 days, the AVS content of three places decreased to 0.29±0.3, 0.08±0.01 and 0.0l±0.01 mg/gㆍdry. After 60 days, the content was 0.23±0.03, 0.0l±0.01, 0.0l±0.01 mg/gㆍdry. The AVS content in the control (sediment from Seonso without juveniles) was 0.39±0.75 mg/gㆍdry sediment (after 30 days) and 0.45±0.01 mg/gㆍdry sediment (after 60 days). At the same time, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total ingition loss (TIL) of these sediments showed the same trend with that of AVS. Furthermore, 60 days later, the survival rate and growth of juveniles were 71.2%, 11.1±l.0 mm in Seonso, 89.8%, 12.0±1.3 mm in Myo-do and 81.6%, 11.9±1.9 mm in Dolsan-do. It was suggested that U. unicinctus can survive better in less polluted environment. Under different U. unicinctus juvenile density (100, 300, 500, 700, 900 individuals), after 60 days cultivation, the AVS content decreased from 0.4±0.1, 0.4±0.1, 0.4±0.3, 0.4±0.3, 0.4±0.3 mg/gㆍdry to 0.4±0.2, 0.3±0.2, 0.2±0.1, 0.2±0.1, 0.2±0.1 mg/gㆍdry. Therefore, the higher the density of juveniles, the greater the effect in improving the sediment. In comparison to different initial AVS concentration (0.40±0.01, 0.35±0.01, [I can't find a reference to this number above], 0.29±0.02, [I can't find a reference to this number above], 0.18±0.03, [I can't find a reference to this number above], 0.06±0.02 mg/gㆍdry sediment [I can't find a reference to this number above] and the control 0.0±0.0[I can't find a reference to this number above]), after 30 days cultivation with 500 juveniles, the AVS content was 0.29±0.03, 0.19±0.0, 0.15±0.01, 0.12±0.02, 0.05±0.0mg/gㆍdry and 0(control). After 60 days cultivation, the content was 0.23±0.03, 0.12±0.4, 0.10±0.01, 0.18±0.03, 0.06±0.02 mg/gㆍdry and 0 (control). Use % decrease in AVS content to state: The impact of U. unicinctus on the sediments was greater with higher concentrations of AVS. The results of this study indicate that U. unicinctus is effective in the biological treatment of sediments polluted by AVS and other organics.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.223-231
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• 1999

Carotenoid pigments of echiurid, Urechis unicinctus were investigated during March, April and May as a part of comparative biochemical studies of carotenoid pigments for the marine organisms other than pisces. Total carotenoid contents were found to be 1.19 mg/100 g in March, 0.98 mg/100 g in April and 0.84 mg/100 g in May, indicating that total carotenoid content was negatively affected by the temperature of sea water that echiurid resided. The carotenoid isolated in March composed of $16.3\%$ diatoxanthin monoester, $14.8\%$ $\beta$-carotene and $12.6\%$ cynthiaxanthin monoester, $8.4\%$ cynthiaxanthin diester, $8.2\%$ zeaxanthin monoester, $7.3\%$ diatoxanthin diester $4.2\%$ astaxanthin $2.9\%$ diatoxanthin, $2.4\%$ triol, $2.3\%$ cynthiaxanthin, $1.7\%$ isocrytoxanthin, $1.5\%$ zeaxanthin diester, $0.8\%$ zeaxanthin and $0.5\%$ lutein. The carotenoid isolated in April composed of $21.9\%$ diatoxanthin monoester, $17.2\%$ cynthiaxanthin monoester and $16.6\%$ $\beta$-carotene $10.9\%$ zeaxanthin monoester, $5.6\%$ cynthiaxanthin diester, $4.9\%$ diatoxanthin diester, $3.1\%$ astaxanthin, $2.4\%$ triol, $2.3\%$ diatoxanthin, $1.7\%$ isocrytoxanthin, $1.5\%$ lutein, $1.1\%$ zeaxanthin, $1.0\%$ cynthiaxanthin and $1.0\%$ zeaxanthin diester. Similarly, the carotenoid isolated in May composed of $25.3\%$ diatoxanthin monoester, $19.7\%$ cynthiaxanthin monoester, $13.0\%$ $\beta$-carotene, and $12.6\%$ zeaxanthin monoester, $5.8\%$ cynthiaxanthin diester, $5.1\%$ diatoxanthin, $3.0\%$ astaxanthin, $2.4\%$ triol, $2.2\%$ diatoxanthin, $1.3\%$ isocrytoxanthin, $1.2\%$ zeaxanthin, $1.1\%$ zeaxanthin diester, $1.0\%$ lutein and $0.9\%$ cynthiaxanthin. Based on these data, monoester-type carotenoids ($37.1\~57.6\%$) and diester-type carotenoids ($11.5\~17.2\%$) of total carotenoids in echiurid were the major carotenoids. Meanwhile, when the sea water temperature was elevated and the contents of total carotenoid in echiurids were decreased, the contents of zeaxanthin monoester, diatoxanthin monoester and cynthiaxanthin monoester were increased, but the contents of zeaxanthin diester, diatoxanthin diester and cynthiaxanthin diseter were decreased, indicating that changes in ester-type caroteoids were differently affected by the sea water temperature.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.550-556
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• 1985

In order to evaluate the marine mollusc muscle as foodstuff not only from the biochemical aspect but also from the view point of food science, we have analyzed the protein and amino acid compositions of the echiurid (Urechis unicinctus) and sea hare (Aplysia kurodai) muscle. The protein quality of the muscles was also investigated using in vitro methods based on in vitro digestibility, predicted digestibility, computed PER (C-PER) and discriminant computed PER(DC-PER). The remarkable feature of the protein compositions of the both muscles was that water soluble protein occupied a large amount of the muscle protein with fairly lower contents of the salt soluble protein. From the analysis of SDS-PAG electrophoresis, the sarcoplasmic proteins in the echiurid and the sea hare muscles were composed of 15 and 10 subunits, respectively. The free amino acid compositions of the total amino acids in the echiurid and sea hare muscle were characterized with $75\%$ of glycine and alanine, and with $78\%$ of taurine, respectively. The amino acid anaylsis of both muscle proteins showed that the echiurid muscle was rich in glycine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, arginine and lysine, but was poor in cysteine, while the sea hare muscle was rich in glycine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and arginine, but was negligible in cysteine and tryptophan. In the total amino acid profiles of the freeze dried muscles in echiurid and sea hare, there was not found a significant difference compared to the amino acid compositions of the muscle proteins. Predicting the protein quality of the echiurid and sea hare muscles using the in vitro method, it was apparently low compared to the muscle protein of fishes.