Multi-Mineral Element Profiles in Genuine and “Bathing” Cultured Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) in Yangcheng Lake, China

Junren Xue,Hongbo Liu,Jian Yang,Xiubao Chen,Tao Jiang

doi:10.3390/fishes7010011

Junren Xue, Hongbo Liu + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes7010011

Copy DOI

Abstract

The authentication of high-quality fishery products originating from specific geographical regions is urgently needed worldwide. Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis), originating from Yangcheng Lake, are prime counterfeiting targets for the same reasons. Foreign crabs that are cultured briefly in the lake, known as “bathed” crabs, are illegally marketed as natives, negatively impacting the product quality. To establish a method for distinguishing “bathed” and genuine crabs, in this paper we conduct a comparative investigation by an Agilent 7500ce ICP-MS on multi-mineral element profiling of the third pereiopod from genuine and one month deliberately “bathing” cultured crabs. The profiles of 11 elements were significantly different between the genuine and foreign crabs before and after bathing. The discriminant analysis reached 100% accuracy to separate the genuine and “bathed” crabs into different groups. Bathing culture was unable to converge element profiles between the genuine and foreign crabs. The biogeochemical profiles can be effective for distinguishing “bathed” crabs.

Highlights

The Chinese mitten crab or Chinese hairy crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is classified underCrustacea, Decapoda, Grapsidae, and Eriocheir, and is native to the East Pacific coast near the Korean Peninsula [1]
One Yangcheng Lake group (n = 20, Yangcheng Lake genuine crabs from September (YCS)) of crabs was sampled for a comparative study of basal mineral element composition between the two groups of BCB and YCS prior to the bathing of the foreign crabs
Our findings revealed that even a one-month bathing culture was unable to converge the elemental profiles of concentration and composition in foreign crabs to crabs originated in Yangcheng Lake

Summary

Introduction

Decapoda, Grapsidae, and Eriocheir, and is native to the East Pacific coast near the Korean Peninsula [1] This crab species has inadvertently invaded large numbers of European and American regions in the past 100 years [2,3]. This species is rich in mineral elements, crude proteins, vitamins [4], and other nutrients, and has extremely high nutritional value. In 2017, the total annual production of Chinese mitten crabs reached 750,000 t [5] These crabs are cultured primarily in the Yellow, Liaohe, and Yangtze River basins, with the latter being the most predominant region for their culture [6]. As the Yangtze River Basin is the main Chinese mitten crab-producing area, Jiangsu Province has an annual production of approximately 350,000 t, constituting ~50% of the country’s total output [5]

Methods

Results

Conclusion