Fatty Acid Contents of Lyophilized and Frozen Portunus sanguinolentus Crab Meat

Abstract

Crab meat is a popular delicacy sold as a high market price. Crab meat contains small amounts of Omega-3 fatty acid, polyunsaturated fats, known to be essential for healthy functioning of the heart. In the present study, freezing and freeze drying, a fatty acid content of lyophilized and frozen meat of crab Portunus sanguinolentus was analyzed. The physical destruction during freeze drying was minimal. When preserved in sealed bags at room temperature for 2 months. No destruction of pigment, such as; discoloration or browning was observed in the meat or viscera. The major contents of fatty acid after rehydration were similar to that before rehydration the most prevalent fatty acid was oleic acid. Lyophilization and rehydration of meat usually, it causes little shrinkage or toughening of the sample and due to the reduction of the surrounding pressure and their sublimation from solid phase to liquid phase, there will not be huge effect on chemical composition and their nutritive value. The body flesh of P. sanguinolentus contains a considerable amount of both Eicosa Pentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosa Hexaenoic Acid (DHA). About 24 fatty acids have been found to occur in the lyophilized and frozen crab body tissue. Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs) were the most abundant of the total.