Generality
The sea urchin used in human nutrition is a marine invertebrate belonging to the species Paracentrotus lividus (Class Echinoidea, Subclass Euechinoidea, Order Echinoida, family Echinidae, Genus Paracentrotus).
In addition to Paracentrotus lividus, there are many types of sea urchins - belonging to different Subclasses, Orders, Families, Genres and Species - but they do NOT represent a usual food source for the human being.
The sea urchin commonly used for food (P. lividus) is often the subject of a misunderstanding of scientific classification; the laymen distinguish the two sexes on the basis of color, hypothetically brown-purple for the female and black for the male, therefore only the females would be taken, excluding the males. However, if it is true that only the brown-purple ones contain the well-known "edible" oviparous sacs while the black ones do not, the real scientific motivation is ignored. The black one, in fact, is not the male of P. lividus but a sea urchin in its own right, classified as Arbacia lixula, therefore totally different for Order, Family, Gender and Species ..
The sea urchin (despite being considered a VERY FINE FOOD by connoisseurs) is NOT a "widely consumed" product, since its availability on the market (low), the costs of the commercial product (high), the possibility of capturing it autonomously ( only in the vicinity of the lower Adriatic and Tyrrhenian), the mode of consumption (raw) and the characteristic flavor (particular), represent (fortunately) limiting factors to the expansion of this food.
The sea urchin is an extremely prolific animal BUT easy to catch; moreover, having a very small edible part, it is necessary to find it in large quantities. These characteristics make the sea urchin an organism whose population density is negatively affected by the reckless withdrawal by man and which therefore requires a fairly rigid fishing regulation (existing but often ignored).
The sea urchin is structured in five strongly similar sections, symmetrical and arranged around a "vertical axis; at the vertex of this axis are arranged: the five teeth of the mouth, the five bands that follow the meridians of the pedicels (pedicellaria with suction cup at the base with which it adheres e podiums in the rest of the body on which the spicules or quills), the five nerve filaments and the five radial canals of the aquifer system. The spicules some skeletal plates are hard and able to erode the supports on which it adheres; the chewing apparatus is very complex and powerful called Aristotle's lantern. The sea urchin has a type of external fertilization and the development includes a larval form (a few weeks) that resembles the "Eiffel tower".
The sea urchin is quite widespread in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea, with little presence on the western high Adriatic side; it feeds on algae, aquatic plants and small organisms, and populates rocky bottoms or those rich in posidonia (marine plant) up to about 30m deep. The sea urchin is also hunted by some underwater organisms, such as fish (sparidi, mainly white bream and sea bream) and crustaceans (such as spider crab).
Hygienic aspects
As anticipated, the edible portion of the sea urchin consists of the oviparous sacs. These can be eaten raw or quickly sautéed. Obviously, as with other marine invertebrates (mussels, clams, oysters, scallops, etc.), the consumption of raw food subjects the consumer to a considerable hygienic risk. Sea urchin eggs are also commercially available under glass, but the cost of the product is nothing short of high (for fishing and processing labor, and for the scarce edible part); for this reason, the most avid consumers tend to procure it themselves or go directly to poachers. However, with the latter two procurement methods, the risk of obtaining contaminated raw material is very high.
The regularly commercialized sea urchin under glass is (almost always) taken from the shallows of the high seas (eg between Sicily and Africa), therefore far from illegal discharges and polluted river mouths; in this case, the risk of contamination is extremely limited. Poachers and laymen, on the other hand, tend to reduce costs and effort by catching sea urchins near the coast, wherever they are found; in these areas, the density of viruses and bacteria (not to mention metals and chemical agents) is considerably higher.
Considering that the preparation of excellence of the sea urchin is "crudity", eating the eggs directly in the split animal or adding them fresh to spaghetti, it is possible to understand how much it can increase the hygienic-food risk.
The disease most frequently transmitted by raw sea urchins is type A and E viral hepatitis; these viruses, easily inactivated by cooking, are capable of seriously damaging human health by attacking the liver. Furthermore, how not to mention the risk of the famous bacterial toxic infection from vibrio cholerae, which in the past was able to exterminate entire families and decimate small urban centers. Finally, high concentrations of coliforms and many other bacteria.
Nutritional characteristics
It is presumed that sea urchin eggs boast a nutritional profile similar to that of other species; they should boast a rather limited energy intake, probably around 100-110kcal / 100g, an excellent quantity of high biological value proteins and fats. essential, but also a high cholesterol content.
Vitamins and mineral salts are presumably contained more than good percentages.
We recommend an occasional or in any case sporadic consumption, paying particular attention to moderate the consumption portions in the presence of hypercholesterolemia
Bibliography:
- Structure of life. Plants and animals - S. Scannerini - Jaca Book - pages 291-291
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