Variation of Nutritional Compostion and Percentage of Edibility of Cultured and Wild Oyster (Crassostrea Madrasensis) from 2014-2015 in Puttalam Lagoon, Sri Lank

Abstract

Oysters are nutritious and highly esteemed sea food throughout the world. The mass scale natural ava the oyster in Puttalam lagoon suggesting suitability of the habitat for oyster culture. The study was ca popularize the culture based fisheries of oysters for the sustainable utilization and management of oyster resource while popularizing it as an alternative protein source among Sri Lankans. In this c seasonal variation of biochemical composition in cultured and wild oyster; Crassostrea madrasensis Lagoon, Sri Lanka was determined. Biochemical compositions and Percentage Edibility (PE) of culture Oyster were studied two stations of the Puttalam lagoon during July 2014 to July 2015. Protein, moistu oil and ash were determined based on the AOAC (2000) official methods and carbohydrate and dry ma were calculated based on the results. Monthly fluctuations of water quality parameters such as temp salinity were also recorded at each station. Seasonal percentage values of protein, lipid, ash, moisture, carbohydrate, PE and dry weight of culture oysters in both stations ranged from 5.13%-10.03%, 0.88% - 2.93%, 0.82% - 3.76%, 81.43% - 91.16 8.04%, 2.10% - 23.12% and 8.84% - 18.57 % respectively. The difference in protein content, moisture c weight and PE between wild and cultured oysters was significant (p<0.05) and the considerable variati wild and cultured oysters. However, between two sites a significant difference was not observed in lip ash content and carbohydrate content in oysters.

Mean protein content, dry weight and PE values of the species are high in both cultured populations ind Puttalam lagoon could be a favored site for large -scale cultivation. PE of cultured oysters recorded throughout the year with respect to wild oysters with its maximum PE values from December to March The results obtained in this study suggest that the best harvesting period was fro m December to March f oysters in Puttalam lagoon. Extensive cultures of oysters in the lagoon could be a solution to elimina on natural oyster beds and facilitate environmentally sustainable aquaculture generating economic coastal peopl