Investigating the approximate composition of two species of sea cucumbers, Holothuria leucospilota and Stichopus hermanni, in Chabahar Bay during four seasons

Knowledge of the proximate composition of invertebrates such as sea cucumbers helps to improve our understanding of the nutritional importance of these organisms. In this study, the approximate composition (protein, fat, ash, and moisture) of two species of sea cucumbers, Holothuria leucospilota and Stichopus herrmanni, in Chabahar Bay during 4 seasons of 2022, was investigated based on standard methods. Sea cucumbers were transported to the laboratory after collection. Approximately 20 grams of muscle was used for each sample. Analysis (in triplicate) was performed to check the proximate compounds. The results showed that the percentage of protein than fat was higher in both cucumber species and the percentage of protein and fat in H. leucospilota species was higher than S. hermanni, so that the highest crude protein in the summer season was for H. leucospilota species (72±0.54). 7.7%) and the lowest value was recorded for S. hermanni in spring season (3.23±0.26%). The highest fat content was observed in the spring season (4.56±0.29%) in H. leucospilota species and the lowest in winter season (1.47±0.66%) in S. hermanni species. The percentage of moisture and ash was higher in S. hermanni species than H. leucospilota. The highest humidity percentage was for summer season (87.09±0.45%) in S. hermanni species and the lowest for winter season (81.63±0.48%) in H. leucospilota species. The highest amount of ash was in autumn (4.81±0.49%) for S. hermanni and the lowest for H. leucospilota in summer (1.23±0.28%). Compared to the other studied species, H. leucospilota species is nutritionally more suitable due to its high caloric value and sufficient crude protein content.