The Impact of Different Drying Modes of Scyphozoan JellyfishRhopilema EsculentumandAurelia Auritaon the Protein and Carbohydrate Components in their Composition and the Possibility of Their Use as Dried Prepared Food

The article studied the impact of convection drying on the stability of proteins and sugars in jellyfish species Rhopilema esculentum and Aurelia aurita. The interdependence of the drying time and the process parameters was studied. Stability of the proteins was evaluated by their denaturation degree, using the method of Ds-Na-PAAG-electrophoresis; the stability of monosaccharides was evaluated with regard to change in their composition using the Gas Liquid Chromatography method. Fixation of the dried jellyfish structure after hydration was performed by reducing the pH of the solution by adding the 70% acetic acid in quantity 0.3% into the 4% solution of salt. Acetic acid restrained the distinct smell of dried jellyfish, stabilized its structure. The dried semifinished product that has passed the hydration without adding acetic acid had an unstable, moist structure. Marinated products have gained good taste in 3 days; the smell of raw jellyfish disappeared completely after 5 days. Practical Applications It was found that at a drying temperature of 65C, the content of protein and carbohydrate components in Rhopilema esculentum reduced by 50% as compared with the content in the native sample, the content of amino sugars (glucosamine, galactosamine) does not change, which indicates the active ongoing reaction of melanoidin formation. The application of food production technology with the use of Rhopilema esculentum as dried prepared food along with the hydration process was substantiated. Therefore, the study justified specific drying mode for Rhopilema esculentum, which implies minimal loss of protein–carbohydrate components. The loss of proteins and sugars in the jellyfish Aurelia at a drying temperature 50C made 60%, as compared with their content in the native sample, indicating nonexpediency of further experiments. Thus, the research provided optimum parameters for drying of Rhopilema esculentum.