CHANGES IN LIPID AND STEROL LEVELS AS OYSTERS Crassostrea virginica (GMELIN) APPROACH MARKET SIZE

A detailed study of the lipid and sterol contents of “lean” oysters (Crassostrea virginica) was made to determine changes in relation to size and sex as the oysters approached marketable size. The growth of oysters was assessed by shell length and meat weight relationships which are non‐linear and sex‐dependent. The lipid content of the meat was directly related to size on a logarithmic scale and was independent of sex. The relationship between total sterol content and the weight of oyster meat was non‐linear and followed a fifth‐degree polynomial function with the total sterol level decreasing with growth. The polynomial parameters were different in relation to sex with adult males showing a higher sterol content than females. Based on these models, it was determined that oysters with an 8 to 10 g meat weight or 95–100 mm shell length have low sterol and triglyceride levels. This correlates fairly closely to the minimum legal size of oysters which is 3‐1/2 inches (89 mm).