2.2. Proximate composition analyses of H. erinaceus
Proximate composition analyses for H. erinaceus powders were conducted following AOAC methods ( AOAC, 1990). Water content was determined by drying samples at 105 ± 2 °C until a constant weight was obtained. Dried samples were used for the determination of crude fat, protein and mineral content. Crude fat was measured by an n-hexane solvent extraction method in a Soxhlet system. Crude protein content was calculated by using nitrogen content obtained by the AOAC Kjeldahl method ( AOAC, 1990). Total mineral content was determined by incinerating samples at 550 ± 10 °C for 3 h with a magnesium acetate solvent as incineration aid ( Watson, 1994). Carbohydrate content and energy value were calculated by subtracting the total protein, fat, water and mineral content from the whole and by multiplying fat, protein and carbohydrate with appropriate coefficients ( Güner et al., 1998 and Holland et al., 1993).