Meat Quality of Blue Crabs (Callinectes sapidus) is Maintained After Storage and Cooking

The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) holds significant economic and ecological importance in its native regions, as the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States where it is renowned for its culinary value. Nonetheless, still scarce is the consumption of blue crabs in Mediterranean countries, such as Italy, where this crab is nowadays considered as an alien invasive species. Hence, the present preliminary study aimed to assess the chemical composition of fresh and stored “crab balls” obtained from meat of the wild blue crabs. The study involved a total of 21 blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896), caught in the Adriatic Sea 24 hours before purchasing.