Changes in content of extractive components in the tail muscle of three species of lobsters during storage

Post-mortem changes in content of ATP and its related compounds, free amino acids, and polyamines were investigated in the tail muscle of Japanese spi ny lobster Panulirus japonicus, rock lobster Jasus lalandii from South Afri ca, and American lobster Homarus americanus from Canada during storage at 0 , 5, and 10 degrees C. Initial ATP level in the muscle of Japanese spiny lobster was higher than o ther species and the decreasing rate was the slowest. During storage, AMP a nd IMP accumulated to a similar extent in the muscle of Japanese spiny lobs ter, while only IMP accumulated in the muscle of American lobster. In the m uscle of rock lobster, neither AMP nor IMP accumulated and inosine increase d rapidly. Taurine, asparagine, glutamine, proline, glycine, and arginine w ere dominant in every lobster, and no polyamine was detected in the early s tage of storage. With degradation of arginine, ornithine increased in the m uscle of rock lobster, while both ornithine and putrescine increased to abo ut the half of the initial arginine level in the muscle of American lobster . Arginine remained at a higher level, and the other two compounds did not increase in the muscle of Japanese spiny lobster.