Abstract
Despite being highly appreciated and consumed, the nutritional value of Chaceon maritae from Namibe (Angola) had never been studied. In the present work, edible tissues (muscle, ovaries, and hepatopancreas) of boiled female C. maritae caught off Namibe coast in two distinct seasons were analyzed in terms of proximate chemical composition (fat, ash, protein, and moisture), fatty acid and amino acid profiles, cholesterol, essential minerals (macro and trace) and toxic elements. Results showed that, in both seasons, C. maritae muscle was a valuable source of protein, essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and essential elements, especially zinc, selenium, iodine, and copper. Ovaries and hepatopancreas are also good sources of protein, but were richer in fat, particularly when caught in October. Ovarian fat is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and that of hepatopancreas has higher values of monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Hepatopancreas and ovaries are also good sources of copper and, especially ovaries, of zinc. Moreover, in both seasons, all the edible tissues of C. maritae analyzed presented very low contents of heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic).
Highlights
The deep-sea red crab Chaceon maritae, originally described as Geryon maritae [1], belongs to Geryonidae family, which comprise several species distributed worldwide, except for the east Pacific, in depths ranging from around 100 m to more than 2800 m [2]
Specimens collected in March presented a carapace width (CW) significantly higher than specimens collected in October
C. maritae CW sizes up to 165 mm were reported for males and up to 120 mm for females, relatively few female crabs grow larger than 100 mm (CW) [5,8]
Summary
The deep-sea red crab Chaceon maritae, originally described as Geryon maritae [1], belongs to Geryonidae family, which comprise several species distributed worldwide, except for the east Pacific, in depths ranging from around 100 m to more than 2800 m [2]. Males and females of C. maritae show an affinity for different depths, tending males to be more prevalent at depths higher than 500 m and females to be more predominate in shallower water (400 to 500 m) [3,4,5]. Because of this distribution pattern, a depth restriction of 400 m was previously introduced aiming to protect female crabs [6]. In Angola, the protection of this species is ensured by setting seasons when the crab catching is interdicted At the time it is allowed, the crab catch mainly occurs in the depths where females predominate.
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