Commercial resource potential of an invasive sea cucumber: nutritional analysis of <i>Synaptula reciprocans</i>

The findings indicate that both locality and season significantly influence the species' nutritional properties (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Dry matter content exhibited considerable variation across seasons, with the highest concentration observed in L2/S2 and L2/S1. Crude protein levels peaked in winter across both regions (L2S1, L1S1), while fat content was consistently higher in Bodrum samples compared to Gokova (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Ash content was highest in Gokova across both seasonal periods (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The fatty acid profile demonstrated notable seasonal and regional differences (<i>p</i> < 0.05), with linoleic acid (C 18:2) emerging as the predominant polyunsaturated ω-6 fatty acid. Additionally, amino acid analysis revealed significant variation (<i>p</i> < 0.05), identifying alanine, asparagine, glutamine, and proline as the dominant amino acids. Elemental analysis highlighted the absence of copper (Cu) in all sampled tissues, while sodium (Na) was consistently the most abundant mineral.