Comparison of wild and cultured adult southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii : Growth, sensory analysis and oil composition

In Australasia, rock lobsters have attracted recent interest as potentially valuable aquaculture species. Small and large wild Jasus edwardsii were compared with adult rock lobster fed for 120 days on diets of fresh mussels and squid or a pelleted formulated prawn diet. Objectives were to determine whether holding diets support adequate growth, alter lipid class and fatty acid profiles enough to influence health of the animals in captivity, confirm earlier results indicating a favourable polyunsaturated fatty acid composition for humans, and produce animals with comparable flavour and texture to those feeding in the wild. The results indicate that J. edwardsii can be successfully raised to provide a lipid profile in tail and leg muscles and digestive gland comparable to that in wild animals. While tail and leg muscle lipid was predominantly polar, digestive gland lipid was predominantly triacylglycerol. In triangle taste tests, 14 untrained tasters could not statistically separate farmed from wild samples, although excessive colour in the flesh of some lobster fed the prawn diet, and the texture of the small lobster fed both fresh diet and formulated diet need further investigation.