Spiny-Cheek Crayfish, Faxonius limosus (Rafinesque, 1817), as an Alternative Food Source
by
,
Natalia Śmietana
1, 
Remigiusz Panicz
1,*
,
Małgorzata Sobczak
1,
Przemysław Śmietana
2 and
Arkadiusz Nędzarek
3 1
Department of Meat Sciences, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Kazimierza Królewicza Street 4, 71-550 Szczecin, Poland
2
Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, Adama Mickiewicza Street 18, 70-383 Szczecin, Poland
3
Department of Aquatic Bioengineering and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Kazimierza Królewicza Street 4, 71-550 Szczecin, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2021, 11(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010059
Submission received: 10 November 2020
/
Revised: 26 December 2020
/
Accepted: 28 December 2020
/
Published: 30 December 2020
(This article belongs to the Section Aquatic Animals)
Simple Summary
Freshwater crayfish species are critical for both local communities and the modern food industry. The study characterised the meat of invasive spiny-cheek crayfish, analysing the yield, basic chemical composition, nutritional value, as well as culinary value. Crayfish meat has high nutritional parameters due to favourable fatty acid and amino acid profiles, as well as balanced mineral content. Crayfish meat is an alternative to livestock meat in the human diet and draws attention of the food industry to the processing of underutilised resources of high-quality aquatic species.
Abstract
The aim of the study was to present a comprehensive characterisation of crayfish meat, which is crucial to assess its potential usefulness in the food industry. To this end, we assessed the yield, basic chemical composition (protein, fat, minerals), nutritional value (amino acid and fatty acid profiles, essential amino acid index (EAAI), chemical score of essential amino acids (CS), hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic ratio (h/H), atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (TI) indices), as well as culinary value (lab colour, texture, sensory characteristics, structure) of the meat of spiny-cheek crayfish (Faxonius limosus) (n = 226) from Lake Sominko (Poland) harvested in May–September 2017. Crayfish meat, especially that from the abdomen, was shown to have high nutritional parameters. It is lean (0.26% of fat), with a favourable fatty acid profile and a very high quality of fat (PUFA (sum of polyunsaturated fatty acids):SFA (sum of saturated fatty acids), n-6/n-3, h/H, AI, TI) and protein (high CS and EAAI). It is also a better source of Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, and Cu than meat from slaughter animals. Hence, crayfish meat can be an alternative to livestock meat in the human diet. Owing to its culinary value (delicateness, weak game flavour, and odour), it meets the requirements of the most demanding consumers, i.e., children and older people.
