Ameliorative efficacy of Sepia officinalis ink extract on hepatorenal injury-induced following high-dose folic acid supplementation in rats

Sepia ink, a black suspension of melanin granules, is a multifunctional marine bioactive material. The present study aims to evaluate the ameliorative effect of the ink extract (IE) of the cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) during high dosage administration of the FA in rats. Kidney injury induced by a single oral dose of FA (250 mg /kg). Eighteen male Wistar albino rats were the control, FA group, and FA+ IE group (250mg/kg). The IE showed a significant ameliorative effect against hepatorenal injury induced by high intake of FA as evident by decreasing the levels of serum aminotransferases (AST and ALT), urea, creatinine, uric acid, and significantly increased total serum albumin. Treatment with IE normalized the antioxidant status of the injured animals by reducing the MDA and the significant increase in the levels of GSH and CAT. The present study revealed that IE had an insightful effect against hepatorenal injury-induced following high intake of FA in rats, as it alleviates the alterations in the oxidative stress markers.

Regional patterns of δ 13 C and δ 15 N for European common cuttlefish ( Sepia officinalis ) throughout the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

Stable isotope compositions of carbon and nitrogen (expressed as δ 13 C and δ 15 N) from the European common cuttlefish ( Sepia officinalis ) were measured in order to evaluate the utility of using these natural tracers throughout the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea (NEAO-MS). Mantle tissue was obtained from S. officinalis collected from 11 sampling locations spanning a wide geographical coverage in the NEAO-MS. Significant differences of both δ 13 C and δ 15 N values were found among S. officinalis samples relative to sampling location. δ 13 C values did not show any discernable spatial trends; however, a distinct pattern of lower δ 15 N values in the Mediterranean Sea relative to the NEAO existed. Mean δ 15 N values of S. officinalis in the Mediterranean Sea averaged 2.5‰ lower than conspecifics collected in the NEAO and showed a decreasing eastward trend within the Mediterranean Sea with the lowest values in the most eastern sampling locations. Results suggest δ 15 N may serve as a useful natural tracer for studies on the population structure of S. officinalis as well as other marine organisms throughout the NEAO-MS.

Frozen Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) Production Process with Contact Plate Freezing Method at PT. Karya Mina Putra, Rembang, Central Java

Cuttlefish is widely consumed by the public because it has a soft meat texture and high nutritional content. This makes the cuttlefish one of the mollusca that is a source of protein in addition to squid and octopus. The disadvantage of cuttlefish is that it is prone to deterioration in quality. One effort to prevent quality deterioration in cuttlefish is by freezing. The purpose of the implementation of this Field Work Practice is to decide the production process of frozen cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) using the Contact Plate Freezing (CPF) method and to know the obstacles that occur in the production process. Field Work Practice was held in PT. Karya Mina Putra, Rembang, Central Java. The stages of the frozen cuttlefish production process at PT. Mina Putra's work includes the reception of raw materials, weighing I and sorting, labeling I, weighing II, washing, pan preparation, freezing, glazing, packaging and labeling II, storing in cold storage, and loading. The freezing process is carried out by the Contact Plate Freezing (CPF) method for 6 hours until the temperature reaches -40 ° C. The obstacle in the production process of frozen cuttlefish is there was a Contact Plate Freezing (CPF) machine damage and there are some employees who do not apply the SOP applied to prevent cross-contamination of the product.

Visual perception and camouflage response to 3-D backgrounds and cast shadows in the European cuttlefish Sepia officinalis

To conceal themselves on the seafloor European cuttlefish Sepia officinalis express a large repertoire of body patterns. Scenes with 3-D relief are especially challenging because neither is it possible to directly recover visual depth from the 2-D retinal image, nor for the cuttlefish to alter its body shape to resemble nearby objects. Here we characterise cuttlefish's camouflage responses to 3-D relief, and to cast shadows, which are complementary depth cues. Animals were recorded in the presence of cylindrical objects of fixed (15mm) diameter, but varying in height, greyscale and strength of cast shadows, and to corresponding 2-D pictorial images. With the cylinders the cuttlefish expressed a ‘3-D’ body pattern, which is distinct from previously described Uniform, Mottle, and Disruptive camouflage patterns. This pattern was insensitive to variation in object height, contrast, and cast shadow, except when shadows were most pronounced, in which case the body patterns resembled those used on the 2-D backgrounds. This suggests that stationary cast shadows are not used as visual depth cues by cuttlefish, and that rather than directly matching the 2-D retinal image, the camouflage response is a two-stage process whereby the animal first classifies the physical environment and then selects an appropriate pattern. Each type of pattern is triggered by specific cues that may compete allowing the animal to select the most suitable camouflage, so the camouflage response is categorical rather than continuously variable. These findings give unique insight into how an invertebrate senses its visual environment to generate the body pattern response.

Weight yield factor, chemical composition and energy value in three imported shellfish species in Nigeria

Shellfish is a major component of our global aquatic food supply, which includes the molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the weight yield factor, chemical composition and energy value in three imported shellfish species (Palinurus regius, Sepia officinalis and Farfantepenaeus notialis) in Nigeria. The physical and chemical determinations were in accordance with the official methods. The results showed that all the shellfish species had weight yield factor less than 1, and the weights obtained for the samples showed no statistically significant differences before and after boiling. In raw samples, S. officinalis had significant (p<0.05) higher protein and crude fat values of 20.41±0.63 g/100 g and 2.67±0.68 g/100 g respectively. In boiled samples, high protein levels (15.21-19.22 g/100 g) with no significant difference characterized the overall proximate profile of shellfish species studied herein. In terms of minerals, all investigated elements (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and sodium) were generally found at lower levels in boiled samples when compared with the mineral contents of the raw shellfish samples. S. officinalis had the higher total energy value in both raw (344.94 kJ 100/g) and boiled samples (373.96 kJ 100/g). All the species can be considered as food items with interesting dietetic properties due to high contents of proteins, minerals and useful energy values. Les mollusques et crustacés sont une composante importante de notre approvisionnement alimentaire aquatique mondial, qui comprend les mollusques, les crustacés et les échinodermes. L'objectif de cette étude était d'évaluer le facteur de rendement pondération, la composition chimique et la valeur énergétique de trois espèces importées de mollusques et crustacés (Palinurus regius, Sepia officinalis et Farfantepenaeus notialis) au Nigéria. Les déterminations physiques et chimiques étaient conformes aux méthodes officielles. Les résultats ont montré que toutes les espèces de mollusques et crustacés avaient un facteur de rendement de poids inférieur à 1, et les poids obtenus pour les échantillons n'ont montré aucune différence statistiquement significative avant et après l'ébullition. Dans les échantillons crus, S. officinalis avait des valeurs significatives (p<0.05) de protéines et de matières grasses brutes de 20.41±0.63 g/100 g et 2.67±0.68 g/100 g respectivement. Dans les échantillons bouillis, des niveaux élevés de protéines (15.21-19.22 g/100 g) sans différence significative ont caractérisé le profil proximate global des espèces de mollusques et crustacés étudiées dans le présente. En ce qui concerne les minéraux, tous les éléments étudiés (calcium, magnésium, potassium, phosphore et sodium) ont généralement été trouvés à des niveaux inférieurs dans les échantillons bouillis par rapport au contenu minéral des échantillons de mollusques et crustacés crus. S. officinalis avait la valeur énergétique totale la plus élevée dans les échantillons bruts (344.94 kJ 100/g) et bouillis (373.96 kJ 100/g). Toutes les espèces peuvent être considérées comme des aliments aux propriétés diététiques intéressantes en raison de la teneur élevée en protéines, minéraux et valeurs énergétiques utiles.

Early Exposure to Water Turbidity Affects Visual Capacities in Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)

In La Manche (English Channel) the level of turbidity changes, not only seasonally and daily in seawater but also along the coast. As a consequence, vision in marine species is limited when based only on contrast-intensity. It is hypothesized that polarization sensitivity (PS) may help individuals detect preys and predators in turbid environments. In the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, to date, all behavioral studies have been conducted on animals reared in clear water. But the cuttlefish sensory system is adapted to a range of turbid environments. Our hypothesis was that rearing cuttlefish in clear water may affect the development of their visual system, and potentially affect their visually guided behaviors. To test this, newly-hatched cuttlefish, from eggs laid by females brought in from the wild, were reared for 1 month under three different conditions: clear water (C group), low turbidity (0.1 g / l of clay, 50–80 NTU, LT group) and high turbidity (0.5 g / l of clay, 300–400 NTU, HT group). The visual capacities of cuttlefish were tested with an optomotor apparatus at 7 days and at 1 month post-hatching. Optomotor responses of juveniles were measured by using three screen patterns (black and white stripes, linearly polarized stripes set at different orientations, and a uniform gray screen). Optomotor responses of juveniles suggest that exposure to turbid water improves the development of their PS when tested in clear water (especially in LT group) but not when tested in turbid water. We suggest that the use of slightly turbid water in rearing systems may improve the development of vision in young cuttlefish with no detrimental effect to their survival rate. Future research will consider water turbidity as a possible factor for the improvement of cuttlefish well-being in artificial rearing systems.