a School of Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, ul. Sukhanova 8, Vladivostok, Russian Federation
b Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Pal’chevskogo 17, Vladivostok, Russian Federation
b Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Pal’chevskogo 17, Vladivostok, Russian Federation
Abstract
In the current decade, holothurians are becoming more popular among researchers due to the recently obtained data about the chemical structures and physiological activities of bioactive ingredients that are extracted from these marine invertebrates. In Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, and China, the use of these animals as a valuable food product and an object of traditional folk medicine has had a long history. At the same time, in western countries, as well as in Russia, products from sea cucumbers are little known and are often considered as an exotic oriental cuisine. This paper provides an analytical review of the literature that is dedicated to the nutritional value of holothurians as a potential source of components for functional food and nutraceuticals. © 2015, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.
Author keywords
biologically active dietary supplements; echinoderms; functional food; holothurians
Indexed keywords
Species Index: Animalia; Echinodermata; Holothuroidea; Invertebrata
