A method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the market period through environmental regulation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a production technology for high-end oysters, and specifically, to a method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by environmental regulation. Healthy oysters with intact shells that meet the marketing specifications before being put on the market are used as samples, and the samples are placed on a breeding platform at an altitude above the average low tide line. During this period, the seawater temperature in the breeding area is lower than 19.5°C, and the samples are harvested when the seawater temperature is lower than 5°C, thereby increasing the taurine content of the samples during the marketing period. This method has the significant advantages of being fast, stable, widely applicable, low cost, and effective. In short, this method can achieve the effect of significantly and efficiently increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period, significantly improving the quality of oyster products, and breaking the current monopoly of international high-end oyster products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a production technology for high-end oysters, and in particular to a method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by regulating the environment. Background Art

[0002] Oysters are a key marine aquaculture shellfish worldwide, boasting high nutritional value. They are a marine organism with both medicinal and edible properties, known as the "milk of the sea." Oysters are rich in amino acids, with taurine comprising nearly half of all free amino acids, making them one of the shellfish with the highest taurine content among marine organisms. As a conditionally essential amino acid for the human body, taurine has high biological value and can effectively regulate physiological functions, promote intellectual development, and protect the retina. It also has a protective effect on the human central nervous system and immune system, and is effective in protecting the myocardium, lowering blood pressure, and preventing atherosclerosis, among other cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, increasing taurine content not only directly enhances the nutritional and health benefits of oysters but also provides core technical support for the production of high-quality, premium oysters.

[0003] In theory, there are two approaches to increasing taurine levels in oysters: genetics and environmental manipulation. Currently, taurine levels in oysters cannot be measured in vivo, and testing is expensive. Research on the genetic basis of taurine levels in oysters is limited. While there have been reports of differences in taurine levels among different oyster species, there have been no reports of genetic improvement. Furthermore, taurine levels are easily affected by the complex marine environment, and there are currently no reports of technologies that increase taurine levels in oysters through precise environmental manipulation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aiming at the current lack of high-quality products with high taurine content in my country's oyster industry, the present invention provides a method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by environmental regulation.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period through environmental regulation, wherein healthy adult oysters with intact shells that meet marketing specifications before being marketed are used as samples, and sample breeding cages are placed on the platform plane of a breeding platform device. During this period, the seawater temperature in the breeding area is lower than 19.5°C, and the oysters are harvested when the seawater temperature is lower than 5°C, thereby increasing the taurine content of the samples during the marketing period; wherein the platform plane elevation of the breeding platform device is above the mean low tide line (i.e., a specific elevation position in the intertidal zone between the mean high tide line and the mean low tide line).

[0007] The oyster samples to be tested have an undamaged shell, a proportion of the weight of the soft part to the body weight of the oyster sample being greater than 10%, an individual weight being greater than 50 g, and an undeveloped gonad.

[0008] The sea area where the breeding platform device for placing the sample breeding cages is characterized by a water depth of less than 4m during low tide and no ice disasters in winter.

[0009] The method for setting the altitude position of the platform plane of the breeding platform device is to query the parameters of the average high tide line A and the average low tide line B of the sea area where the sample breeding cages are placed, and fix the altitude of the platform plane of the breeding platform device carrying the sample breeding cages between 0.143A+0.857B and 0.286A+0.714B.

[0010] The earliest time to place the sample is during the period of falling seawater temperature in autumn and winter. When the seawater temperature begins to fall below 19.5° C., the earliest time to place the sample in a specific location to increase the taurine content can be used.

[0011] The seawater temperature during harvest is below 5°C. Specifically, the harvesting period is the period when the seawater temperature drops to the lowest point and then gradually rises to below 5°C.

[0012] Beneficial effects of the present invention

[0013] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention offers the following advantages and positive effects: Currently, there are no reports on technologies for increasing the taurine content in oysters. However, the present method offers significant advantages: rapid and stable processing, wide applicability, low cost, and effective results. In summary, the present method can rapidly increase the taurine content of oysters during their marketable period, significantly improving the quality of oyster products and potentially breaking the current monopoly of high-end oyster products internationally. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific examples. It should be understood that the following examples are provided to further illustrate the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that after reading the content taught by the present invention, those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalents fall within the scope limited by the appended claims of the application.

[0015] The present invention regulates the environment of oysters before they are put on the market, thereby simulating the effect of oysters on taurine in a specific marine environment, thereby increasing the taurine content during the market period.

[0016] In addition, some terms used in the embodiments of the present invention include: the mean high tide line, which is the boundary between the sea surface and the coastal land during high tide. The high tide line at different times is not completely consistent and can be determined through measurement and calculation; the mean low tide line is the average value of the sea edge at low tide; the subtidal zone is the seabed area from the mean low tide to the edge of the continental shelf (approximately 200 meters), sometimes also called the shallow sea zone. The low tide period in the sea area refers to the time period when the sea area is at its lowest tide.

[0017] Example 1:

[0018] In October 2022, oyster samples that needed to increase taurine (i.e., samples that were about to be put on the market) were selected from the Jiaonan Sea area of Qingdao. The selected oysters had complete shells, a shell height of 6-8 cm, an individual weight of 50-100 g, the weight of the soft part accounted for about 15% of the individual weight, and the soft body gonads were not developed.

[0019] The sea area of Huangdao District, Qingdao City was selected as the environmental control sea area for increasing the taurine content. The water depth of this sea area is about 3m at low tide, the annual average content of diatoms in unicellular algae is 100cells / mL, the water quality meets the NY5052-2001 pollution-free food seawater aquaculture water standard, and the average high tide line A is 380cm, the average low tide line B is 100cm, the annual average water flow velocity is 0.1-0.3m / s, and there is no ice disaster in winter.

[0020] The marine aquaculture platform device is constructed of stainless steel. The platform plane (i.e., the cross-section supporting the aquaculture cages) is 4 meters long and 1 meter wide, and the support columns of the device support plane are fixed to the seabed. The parameters of the average high tide line A and the average low tide line B of the sea area near the experiment were queried. Within the altitude range of the intertidal zone, the platform altitude of the marine aquaculture platform device was set at a maximum point of 380 cm above the average high tide line A, and a minimum point of 40 cm. Another altitude position was set within this interval. A total of three platform altitudes served as experimental groups (the altitudes of the three experimental groups all fell within the intertidal zone altitude), namely, the altitudes of 380 cm, 180.08 cm (0.286A + 0.714B), and 40 cm, respectively. At the same time, a control group was set at a subtidal altitude of -50 cm (i.e., the usual location set by traditional subtidal aquaculture methods). The aquaculture cages for cultivating the selected oysters were then placed on the platforms, and the specifications and aquaculture density of the aquaculture cages were consistent with the conventional method.

[0021] On October 26, 2022, after the seawater temperature dropped to 19.5 degrees, the oyster samples were placed in the experimental and control groups, and temperature probes were set to monitor the seawater temperature. On February 6, 2023, when the seawater temperature rose to 4 degrees, the samples of each group were removed from the lifting system, the soft parts of each group were freeze-dried, and the taurine content in the hydrolyzed amino acids of each experimental group and control group was detected using an automatic amino acid analyzer. The taurine content of each group of oysters was analyzed. Among them, the average taurine content of the experimental group at 380cm was 73.07 mg / g, the average taurine content of the experimental group at 180.08cm (0.286A+0.714B) was 90.28 mg / g, the average taurine content of the experimental group at 40cm was 78.75 mg / g, and the average taurine content of the control group (subtidal zone) was 77.66 mg / g. Among the three experimental groups, the average taurine content of the experimental group 180.08cm (0.286A+0.714B) was the highest, which was increased by 16.25% compared with the control group, and the difference reached a significant level.

[0022] Example 2:

[0023] In October 2022, oyster samples that needed to increase taurine were selected from the Jiaonan Sea area of Qingdao. The selected oysters had complete shells, a shell height of 6-8 cm, an individual weight of 50-100 g, the weight of the soft part accounted for about 15% of the individual weight, and the soft body gonads were not developed.

[0024] The sea area of Huangdao District, Qingdao City was selected as the environmental control sea area for increasing the taurine content. The water depth of this sea area is about 3m at low tide, the annual average content of diatoms in unicellular algae is 100cells / mL, the water quality meets the NY5052-2001 pollution-free food seawater aquaculture water standard, and the average high tide line A is 380cm, the average low tide line B is 100cm, the annual average water flow velocity is 0.1-0.3m / s, and there is no ice disaster in winter.

[0025] The marine aquaculture platform device is constructed of stainless steel. The platform (i.e., the cross-section supporting the aquaculture cages) is 4 meters long and 1 meter wide, and the support columns of the device's supporting plane are fixed to the seabed. The parameters of the average high tide line A and the average low tide line B of the sea area near the experiment were queried. The platform's highest point was set at 380 cm above the average high tide line A, and the lowest point was set at 40 cm. Within this range, two platform altitudes were set as experimental groups, namely, the specific altitudes of each experimental group were 240 cm and 140.04 cm (0.143A + 0.857B), respectively (the experimental group platform was set at an altitude within the intertidal zone); at the same time, a control group was set at an altitude of -50 cm in the subtidal zone (i.e., the usual location set by traditional subtidal aquaculture methods). The aquaculture cages for cultivating the selected oysters were then placed on the aquaculture platforms, with the specifications and aquaculture density of the aquaculture cages consistent with conventional methods.

[0026] On October 26, 2022, after the seawater temperature dropped to 19.5 degrees, the oyster samples were placed in the experimental and control groups, and temperature probes were set to monitor the seawater temperature. On February 6, 2023, when the seawater temperature rose to 4 degrees, the samples of each group were removed from the lifting system, the soft parts of each group were freeze-dried, and the taurine content in the hydrolyzed amino acids of each experimental and control group was detected using an automatic amino acid analyzer. The taurine content of each group of oysters was analyzed, among which the average taurine content of the experimental group at 240cm was 80.75mg / g, the average taurine content of the experimental group at 140.04cm (0.143A+0.857B) was 92.61mg / g, and the average taurine content of the control group (subtidal zone) was 77.66mg / g. The average taurine content of 140.04cm (0.143A+0.857B) was the highest in the two experimental groups, which was 19.25% higher than that in the control group, and the difference reached a significant level.

[0027] The above are only specific embodiments of the invention, but the design concept of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any non-substantial changes to the present invention using the concept shall be deemed as an infringement of the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by environmental regulation, characterized by: Healthy adult oysters with intact shells that meet market specifications before being put on the market are used as samples. The sample breeding cages are placed on the platform plane of the breeding platform device. During this period, the seawater temperature in the breeding area is lower than 19.5℃. The oysters are harvested when the seawater temperature is lower than 5℃, thereby increasing the taurine content of the samples during the marketing period. Among them, the platform plane of the breeding platform device is located above the average low tide line.

2. The method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by environmental regulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell of the sample is intact, the weight of the soft part accounts for more than 10% of the individual body weight, the individual weight is greater than 50g, and the gonads are not developed.

3. The method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by environmental regulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sea area where the aquaculture platform is installed is characterized by a water depth of less than 4m during low tide and no ice disasters in winter.

4. The method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by environmental regulation according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The method for setting the altitude position of the platform plane of the breeding platform device is to query the parameters of the average high tide line A and the average low tide line B of the sea area where the sample breeding cages are placed, and fix the altitude of the platform plane of the breeding platform device carrying the sample breeding cages between 0.143A+0.857B and 0.286A+0.714B.

5. The method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by environmental regulation according to claim 4, characterized in that: The earliest time to place the samples is in autumn and winter when the seawater temperature drops. When the seawater temperature begins to fall below 19.5°C, the earliest time to place the samples on the aquaculture platform to increase the taurine content is when the seawater temperature begins to fall below 19.5°C.

6. The method for increasing the taurine content of oysters during the marketing period by environmental regulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The seawater temperature during harvest is below 5°C. Specifically, the harvesting period is the period during which the seawater temperature drops to the lowest point and then gradually rises to below 5°C.