Know what you eat: nutritional value of the alien species Callinectes sapidus

Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), native to the Atlantic coast of the Americas, represents a huge plague for Mediterranean countries, since it is considered a highly invasive alien species. Furthermore, the sustainable management of blue crab populations is crucial for preserving coastal ecosystems, making the valorization of crab meat not just a culinary endeavor but also an ecological imperative. In this context, we here have proposed a characterization of 18 specimens of Blue crabs, caught in the FAO 37.1 area at the end of November 2023, in terms of marketable yields (as body meat yield and claw meat yield), chemical composition, and nutritional value. Data were analyzed with SAS software to assess the effect of the anatomical region (i.e., body and claw) on the total lipids and fatty acid profiles. Body and claws represented approximately 38.5% and 43.05% of the whole animal, respectively; the edible parts, hence meat from body and claws, were 23.70% and 16%, respectively. The anatomic regions significantly affected the total lipid content and a few fatty acids. Specifically, the body meat had a higher lipid content (0.74g/100g) than claw meat; however, both resulted in lean meats. The body had a higher sum of saturated (29.5% of the total fatty acid methyl esters) and polyunsaturated (34.9% of total FAME) fatty acids (FAs) compared to the claw meat. This last was richer in monounsaturated FAs. In conclusion, blue crabs had lean meat irrespective of the anatomic regions considered, and its fatty acid profile resulted beneficial to human health.