Nutritional Quality and Fatty Acids Composition of Invasive Chinese Mitten Crab from Odra Estuary (Baltic Basin)

Abstract

The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is recognized as an invasive species in Europe but increasing fishing efforts may hold economic benefits and yield positive ecological and nutritional outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine the yield of edible parts and the compositional and nutritional characteristics of this crab, especially as a source of n-3 PUFA. The overall yield of edible parts amounted to 38.09%, with males (27.72%) exhibiting a higher meat content compared to females (25.30%). The gonads displayed the highest protein content (24.12%), while the hepatopancreas (11.67%) showcased the highest fat content. Furthermore, the fatty acid composition varied depending on the distribution within different crab segments and gender and individual size. Notably, the gonad lipids contained the most nutritionally valuable n-3 fatty acids, followed by muscle and hepatopancreas lipids. The determined index of atherogenicity (IA) from 0.2 for gonadal lipids to 0.42 for hepatopancreas lipids, index of thrombogenicity (IT) in the range of 0.10 for gonads to 0.41 for hepatopancreas, and flesh lipid quality (FLQ) from 6.9 for hepatopancreas to 23 for muscle lipids indicate their pro-health properties. The ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids showed Chinese mitten crab as an excellent source of oil that can be used for food fortification and dietary supplement production.