Blue Bounty: Italy’s Dual-Use Solution for Crab Invasion, Nutritional Value, Safety, and Valorization

Abstract

In the past few years, non-native blue crab has been expanding its range in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas. However, when non-indigenous species establish a lasting presence in a novel ecosystem and actively expand into other regions, posing potential risks to local biodiversity and economic harm, they are classified as invasive species. For this study, two different batches of blue crabs were collected: one from the Mediterranean Sea and the other from the Adriatic coast area. Considering the negative ecological impact that blue crab has had and continues to have on the Italian coasts, this work was aimed to evaluate the characteristics of the Adriatic Sea “variant”; another goal was to propose the potential use of blue crab as a commercially profitable source due to its organoleptic characteristics. Data obtained revealed a high protein content, a good lipid profile, a low number of plastic particles, and the absence of toxic metals and pathogenic microorganisms. A deep statistical analysis was conducted to compare different portions of blue crab from the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas. The results suggest that Callinectes sapidus is beneficial for human consumption and represents a valuable seafood, and its carapace could be used as compliant feed for aquaculture due to its metal composition and microbiological content.