| Abstract: | The Xishi abalone (Haliotis gigantea) is an economically significant aquaculture species in southern China. We identified a novel orange‐muscle mutation present in less than 2% of the cultured population. High‐performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry identified zeaxanthin and β‐carotene as the two main pigments present in the orange‐muscle abalone. The concentrations of zeaxanthin and β‐carotene detected in the orange‐muscle abalones were significantly higher than those detected in the common abalones (p < 0.01). Notably, the concentration of zeaxanthin was approximately 16.5 times higher in orange‐muscle abalones than in common abalones, which was also the species with highest carotenoid content reported in shellfish to date. Furthermore, the contents of total amino acids and essential amino acids in the orange‐muscle abalone were higher than that in the common abalone, though not significantly, while the content of non‐essential amino acids was significantly higher in the orange‐muscle abalone than that in the common abalone (p < 0.05). The saturated fatty acid content in the orange‐muscle abalones was slightly lower than that in the common abalones, and the unsaturated fatty acid content was higher in the orange‐muscle abalones than that in the common abalones. These results could provide a basis for characterizing the mechanism by which carotenoids accumulate in abalones and further guide the breeding of abalone with orange‐muscle mutants in the future. |
