1] 



All the data for solvent extract except the first value were obtained from bulk 

 extractions, in which the ground meal was placed in canvas bags in the extractor. 

 Caking of the large bulk of meal prevented complete extraction of oil so that 

 these values are perhaps 5 to 10 percent low. 



Table 3 - Proximate Analysis of Some Samples of Fresh Starfish and Staff J3h Meal 



Lot 



Dry- 

 Matter 



Protein 



Solvent 

 Extract 



Total Organic 

 Matter 



Chlorides 

 as NaCj 



Total 

 Ash 



Percent 



Percent 



Fresh Starfish : 

 1 



? 

 4 

 5 

 7 



35.2 



35.0 



33.^ 

 32.6 



Percent 



2.7 



Percent 



15.8 



14.1 



16.5 

 16.6 



M-7 



Percent 



2.18 

 1.47 

 1.24 

 1.10 



L22_ 



Percent 



19.4 



20.9 



17.1 

 16.0 



Starfish Meal I 



1 

 2 



3 



4 



9 

 10 

 11 



99.2 

 97.2 

 98.7 

 97.9 

 99.1 

 99.0 

 99.4 

 94.9 

 97.2 



27.9 

 26.3 

 29.9 



28.1 

 3Q.6 



7.6 

 6.9 



15.1 

 6.8 



8.7 

 9.3 

 9.0 



44.4 

 40.9 

 39.3 

 50.5 

 42.2 

 40.1 

 38.5 

 36.4 

 39.3 



2.85 

 3.81 

 3.29 

 3.73 

 3.90 

 3.14 



54.8 

 56.3 

 59.4 

 47.4 

 56.9 

 58.9 

 60.8 



58.5 

 57.9 



Generally, the solvent-soluble material constituted about 7 to 9 percent of 

 the meal. The one high value for Lot 4 of 15.1 percent was obtained with starfish 

 which were full of spawn. As most of the samples were collected in October and 

 November, normally they were spawned out, and this fact may, in part, account for 

 the lower values for protein, as well as oil, and higher ash content than have 

 usually been observed for this species. This particular meal from Lot 4 was the 

 only one to have an ash content under 50 percent . The others ranged from 55 to 

 61 percent ash, in spite of the fact that an effort was made to pick out most of 

 the shell and foreign matter before drying. 



The protein content, as noted before, is lower than some values previously 

 reported, five meals averaging 28.6 percent. Seasonal differences, loss in liquor, 

 And loss during drying may all have contributed to make these low values . The 

 data did not cover a long enough period of time to permit evaluation of all the 

 factors involved in the variable composition of the starfish. 



It is evident from the data that the meal dries readily even at the low tem- 

 peratures used, several meals containing less than one percent water. The star- 

 fish before drying contained about 35 percent dry matter, compared to the value 

 of 25 percent reported usually used as a meal factor for freshly caught starfish, 

 indicating a loss of about 10 percent of liquor which separated in transit. Salt 

 content of the meals is well within the permissible limits for fish meals. Chi tin 

 content, representing indigestible protein, was found to be low, only 0.55 percent 

 of the dry meal. 



The unsaponifiable portion of starfish oil has been examined, particularly 

 in regard to the sterols present, by Bergmann and coworkers. In a preliminary 

 report, Bergmann (1937) had reported that the sterol of starfish, named stellasterol 

 by Kossel and Edlbacher (1915) was a mixture of two or more sterols which were 

 extremely difficult to separate. This sterol mixture, as well as the alcohol, 

 astrol, were present in Asterias forbesi. 



