Shelf-life of cooked edible crab (Cancer pagurus) stored under refrigerated conditions

Cancer pagurus is widely appreciated in Southern Europe, being sold live, cooked refrigerated or cooked frozen. In deposit facilities it is common practice to cook and sell crabs that died overnight in tanks. So far, no studies assessed the quality and shelf-life of processed edible crab for human consumption. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the shelf-life of cooked meat of vacuum-packed C. pagurus during refrigeration using biochemical, physical, microbiological and sensorial tools. The results indicate that live cooked crabs had higher shelf-life (above 13 days) than live cooked crabs frozen at −20 °C during 3 months before refrigeration (4 days) and dead cooked crabs (10 days). Odour and microbiological growth were the best indicators for quality assessment of both crab tissues, as well as all lipid oxidation parameters in brown meat. The initial quality, processing procedure and preservation method play a crucial role in the shelf-life of edible crab, and therefore must be strictly controlled to ensure high-quality products for consumers.