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Physicochemical characterization of Sepia officinalis ink and the effects of storage conditions on the coagulation process

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2008

A. Neifar ,
F. Ben Rebah ,
A. Gargouri  and
A. Abdelmouleh
A. Neifar
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Marine, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, INSTM-Centre de Sfax, Tunisie
F. Ben Rebah*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Marine, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, INSTM-Centre de Sfax, Tunisie
A. Gargouri
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire des Eucaryotes, Centre de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Tunisie
A. Abdelmouleh
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Marine, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, INSTM-Centre de Sfax, Tunisie
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: F. Ben Rebah, Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Marine, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, INSTM-Centre de Sfax, Tunisie email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Sepia officinalis produces a dark ink constituted of a suspension of melanin granules in a viscous colourless medium showing a large variability in composition. The examination of the spectra obtained by scanning electron microscopy of crude and the melanin-free ink showed slight variation in elemental composition related to the elimination of melanin substance after centrifugation. Ink elemental content varied also depending on the period of sampling. Temperature, light and oxygen can be considered as coagulation factors. Temperature around ambient temperature (e.g. 30°C) gave strong coagulation, while lower temperature (2–4°C), lack of oxygen and darkness greatly inhibited the ink coagulation process. Moreover, we showed that hydrogen peroxide activated the ink coagulation process and the coagulation rate depends on the amount of H2O2 added. Heat treatment (100°C for 5 minutes) of ink inhibited the coagulation. Interestingly, the addition of an adequate volume of fresh melanin-free ink to the heated sample activated significantly the coagulation process.

Keywords

Sepia officinalisinkmelanin-free inkcoagulationperoxidase
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 89 , Issue 4 , June 2009 , pp. 803 - 807
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

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