Nutritional Quality of the Egg Mass Locally Known as “Lukot’ of the Wedge Seahare Dolabella auricularia (Lightfoot, 1786) Ador R. Pepito 1, 2 , Gloria G. Delan 1 , Manabu Asakawa 3 , Letecia J.Ami 2 , Emelia Encarnacion S.Yap 2 , Minerva SD. Olympia 2 , Kaori Yasui 3 , Aurelia G. Maningo 1 , Rachel Luz V. Rica 4 and Ma. Helian A. Lamayo 1 Abstract The egg mass of the wedge seahare Dolabella auricularia has been gathered as human food for quite a long time without knowing its nutritional composition. Thus, this study was conducted in order to determine some nutritional aspects of the egg mass as basis of its utilization as human food. Important composition of the egg mass that were determined were its proximate composition, mineral contents and amino acid profile. In terms of proximate composition, the egg mass has a moisture content of 91.10 percent, fat of 0.85 percent, protein of 2.85 percent, ash of 3.43 percent and 1.77 percent for carbohydrates. The mineral content such as: calcium, iron, potassium, sodium and zinc contain 1040 mg/kg, 25.3 mg/kg, 599 mg/kg, 9803 mg/kg and 41.6 mg/kg, respectively. The amino acid profile has six (6) essential amino acids such as: threonine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine and hstidine while it has nine (9) non-essential amino acid like: taurine, aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, glumatimine, glycine, alanine, tyrosine, proline. It has also eight (8) other amino acids components such as: Phospo-serine, urea, aromatic amino acid, citrulline, beta-alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, ammonia, ornithine. Results show that the egg mass of the wedge seahare contains some nutritional components that are very essential in maintaining a healthy and balanced life, thus making it as another food commodity from the marine environment. Keywords: opisthobranch – mollusks, proximate composition, mineral content, amino acids _______________________________________ 1 Cebu Technological University-Carmen Campus 2 Institute of Fish Processing Technology, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo 3 Department of Bioresource Science and Technology, Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University 4 Cebu Technological University-Main Campus INTRODUCTION Seafoods are very important in the diet of every Filipino which can be served either as fresh and/or cooked. They are of high demand because of their considerable health benefits and for being nutritious (Skonberg and Perkins, 2002). Seafood products are being considered potential and the cheapest source of animal protein due to their amino acid composition and digestibility (Louka et al, 2004). The vitamins and minerals of the seafoods are sufficient to warrant healthy living (Murray and Burt, 2001). On the other hand, measurement of fish constituents is sometimes necessary to meet the requirements of food regulation or commercial purposes (Osibona, 2011). The proximate composition of fish serves as an index for fish quality (Hernandez et al., 2001) and provide information in terms of the nutritive value of a fish (Steffens, 2006). The diet conscious consumers preferred fish as a potential source of animal protein and essential nutrients (Fawole et al, 2007). Protein has been recognized as essential for the sustenance of life. Fish can be an excellent source of protein because of its amino acid components and the degree of its digestibility (Louka et al, 2004). Fishery products have been found to be rich in protein needed by human in terms of nutritional nourishment. The wedge Seahare, Dolabella auricularia belongs to the Opisthobranch molluscs (Aplyssidae). It is mostly found in shallow tropical shoreline and was observed to feed on algae or seagrasses (Calumpong, 1979).The organism lays a gelatinous string like egg mass usually cemented to eel grass or seaweed. Spawning and recruitment period of the wedge sea hare has been observed to occur throughout the year, with peaks in May and July and September to October making its egg mass available the whole year round (Calumpong and Pauly, 1984). Utilization of the egg mass of the wedge seahare are not only popular in the Philippines but in other parts of the world like Samoa, Kiribati and Fiji Islands (Singh and Vuki, 2009). In the aforementioned places both the organism and the egg mass are collected for food, and are eaten either raw or half-cooked, or marinated with lemon juice (Fay-Sauna, 2001). In the Philippines, egg mass are either eaten raw in a form of a salad or added as one of the ingredients in cooking “Tinolang Isda” (a staple soup in Visayas region) and shellfishes. The egg mass has been traditionally consumed as human food for quite a long time and there have been no reported incidents/cases of food poisoning due to ingestion of the egg masses. Further, anecdotal information claims that eating the egg mass could bring many health benefits to its ORIGINAL PAPER Tropical Technology Journal ISSN: 2199-8698, Volume 19, Issue 1, Article 7 1 7-z