Fatty acid profile of cooked leg meat and raw hepatopancreas of red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) during three-month live holding without feeding at 5 and 10 °C

Federico Lian,Sten I Siikavuopio,Sabine M Harrison,Birthe Vang,Nigel P Brunton,Margrethe Esaiassen,Grete Lorentzen

doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2021.104206

Abstract

The red king crab (RKC, Paralithodes camtschaticus) is a highly-valued decapod species. Typically, RKCs undergo a period of live holding (LH), often without feeding, in onshore facilities, allowing for flexible management before export to destination markets. This study aimed to (i) gain information on the fatty acid (FA) profile of the cooked leg meat and raw hepatopancreas obtained from RKC harvested in Norwegian waters of the Barents Sea and (ii) investigate how these FA profiles are affected by LH without feeding for up to 92 days at 5 or 10 °C. Minor changes were observed in the FA profile of cooked leg meat, which retained its nutritional value in omega−3 FA content. In contrast, the FA composition of raw hepatopancreas was severely affected by the LH time, with substantial changes occurring especially between 41 and 62 days at 10 °C and between 62 and 92 days at 5 °C. Saturated and specific monounsaturated FAs (16:1n−7c and 18:1n−9t), as well as 22:5n−3c, were preferentially utilized at the beginning of the starvation period, followed by the mobilization of C18–22 unsaturated FAs. Long-chain highly-unsaturated FAs were preferentially retained during LH, especially 20:4n−6c and 20:5n−3c. The information emerging from the present study may be practically exploited for selecting or designing suitable feed for RKC during LH at different temperatures.

Highlights

The red king crab (RKC, Paralithodes camtschaticus) is a decapod species of paramount commercial importance, caught in Arctic waters but known and appreciated worldwide for its sensory and nutritional properties (Voldnes et al, 2020)
The proximate composition of the leg meat showed a decrease in protein which was statistically significant only for the RKCs held at 10 ◦C, accompanied by a significant reciprocal increase in moisture
The fatty acid profile of the leg meat and hepatopancreas differed essentially in the relative level of MUFAs, which was higher in the hepatopancreas, and of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which was higher in the leg meat

Summary

Introduction

The red king crab (RKC, Paralithodes camtschaticus) is a decapod species of paramount commercial importance, caught in Arctic waters but known and appreciated worldwide for its sensory and nutritional properties (Voldnes et al, 2020). Most of the RKC harvested along the Norwegian coastal area of the Barents Sea is exported to North American and Asian markets as live crabs (Lian et al, 2021b). Before export, it is common practice for the Norwegian crab industry to stock RKCs in onshore facilities for extended periods (Lorentzen et al, 2018). It is common practice for the Norwegian crab industry to stock RKCs in onshore facilities for extended periods (Lorentzen et al, 2018) This enables flexible management and maximizes profitability as it en sures a reliable and consistent supply when the demand and the market prices are high (Lorentzen et al, 2019). During LH, it is desirable to maintain the metabolic rate of RKC as low as possible; temperature-controlled conditions would incur additional costs related to chilling of seawater, which normally ranges 4–10 ◦C (March–October) along the Norwegian coast of the Barents Sea (Ozhigin et al, 2011)

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