Bêche-de-mer

The main product from sea cucumber is bêche-de-mer (iriko in Japanese, hai-som in Chinese or trepang in Indonesian), being the body wall of the animal without viscera, cleaned, cooked and dried. Bêche-de-mer is consumed as a delicacy and for health benefits, being sold in the most important markets from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Its commercial value depends on many features including quality of product (appearance, shape, consistence, smell, nutritional profile, ossicle density in body wall, presence of bioactives), species and length.

WANGUMAQUA SLU has developed several protocols for the bêche-de-mer processing, taking in account the sea cucumber species, size, quality of the fresh sea cucumber and target market. Processing of sea cucumber could also be adapted to the requirements and specifications from clients.