First observation of seasonal variations in the meat and co-products of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea
Collection of crabsMale snow crabs of legal size and with hard shells were caught by the commercial SC vessel Northeastern (Opilio AS) using traditional SC pots in the NEAFC area (N 75° 49.2 E 37° 39.2). SCs were stored live onboard the vessel and subsequently delivered to Nofima’s facilities in Tromsø (N 69° 39). The crabs were caught in June, and September 2016, February, April, and December 2017 and will only be referred to by month. Upon slaughtering, data from individual crabs was obtained by recording the weight of the whole animal, clusters + claws, hemolymph, hepatopancreas, and gills (n = 56 September, n = 45 December, n = 29 February, n = 66 April, n = 50 June). Subsequently, different fractions were pooled and analysed as outlined below.Biochemical- and meat content-analysesThe biochemical analyses were performed on each month of analysis (September, December, February, April, and June) and consisted of water, protein, lipid, and ash contents. All analyses were performed on meat (i.e., main product) and the different co-products divided in the following ways: pooled internal organs (mainly hemolymph, hepatopancreas and gonads) with and without added carapace, hemolymph alone and hepatopancreas alone. Lipid class and fatty acid analyses were performed on the lipid storage organ hepatopancreas. Each biochemical analysis consisted of co-products from 10 randomly selected animals. All biochemical analyses (water-, ash-, lipid and protein-content) were determined by Toslab (9266 Tromsø, Norway), lipid classes and fatty acid identifications were performed by Biolab (5141 Fyllingsdalen, Norway). Both are commercial laboratories accredited according to ISO 17025.Water and dry matter content3–5 g of material was weighed in a marked porcelain crucible. The crucible was placed in a preheated drying cabinet at 103 °C ± 1 °C. After precisely 4 h 30 min, the crucible was allowed to cool down in a desiccator before being weighed. Water and dry matter contents were calculated according to Eqs. (1) and (2) respectively:$$Waterleft(%right)=frac{left(a-bright)}{w}times 100$$
(1)
$$Dry;matter;content left(%right)=frac{left(b-cright)}{w}times 100$$
(2)
where a = weight (g) of crucible with weighed sample; b = weight (g) of crucible with dried sample; c = weight (g) of crucible; w = weight (g) of weighed sample9.Ash content3–5 g of material was weighed in a marked porcelain crucible. The crucible was placed in a preheated muffle furnace at 550 °C ± 20 °C. After 16 h, the crucible was allowed to cool down in a desiccator before being weighed. The ash content was calculated according to Eq. (3):$$Ash left(%right)=frac{left(d-cright)}{{w}^{^{prime}}}times 100$$
(3)
where d = weight (g) of crucible with calcinated sample; c = weight (g) of crucible; w′ = weight (g) of dry matter sample10.Fat contentThe fat in the samples was extracted with a polar solvent consisting of CHCl3, MeOH and H2O in a mixing ratio of 1:2:0.8 to give a single-phase system. 5–20 g of material was weighed into a 250 ml test tube. H2O was added so that water content plus added material corresponded to 16 ml. MeOH (40 ml) and CHCl3 (20 ml) were added. The mix was homogenized for 60 s. CHCl3 (20 ml) was again added and the mix was homogenized for 30 s H2O (20 ml) was added, and the mix was homogenized again for 30 s. The test tube was sealed and cooled in a water bath with ice. The emulsion was quickly filtered out through a small cotton ball in a funnel. The upper layer of the collected liquid consisting of MeOH and H2O was removed by suction. 5–20 ml of the remaining CHCl3 phase was transferred to a tared evaporation dish with a positive displacement pipette. The solvent was evaporated with an infrared lamp. The dish was cooled in a desiccator and weighed. The fat content was calculated according to the Eq. (4):$$Fat;content left(%right)=frac{dtimes b}{W times left(c-frac{d}{mathrm{0,92}}right)}times 100$$
(4)
where b = ml CHCl3 added; c = ml CHCl3 transferred; d = weight of fat in evaporation dish (g); 0.92 = specific gravity for fat, g/ml; w = weight (g) of the sample11.Protein contentProtein content analysis was performed with a fully automated Kjeltec 8400 (Foss Analytics, Denmark). 0.5–1 g of nitrogen free paper of previously dried sample was allowed to be digested in a digestion unit with concentrated H2SO4 (17.5 ml) and two catalyser tablets for 2 h 20 min at 420 °C. The digested liquid was transferred to the titration unit after cooling and was titrated fully automated by the equipment.Blanking was performed only with nitrogen free paper, titration with standardized HCl solution and 1% (w/w) boric acid solution containing a pH sensitive indicator. The protein content was calculated according to the Eq. (5):$$Protein;content left(%right)=frac{mathrm{14,007}times N times f times left(a-bright)}{wtimes 1000}times 100$$
(5)
where 14.007 = atomic weight of Nitrogen; N = Normality of the titration solution; f = protein factor (6.25); w = weight (g) of weighed sample; a = ml of HCl consumed for sample titration; b = ml of HCl consumed for blank titration12.
Cis-fatty acid and trans-fatty acids compositionThis method was designed to determine the fatty acid composition of marine oils and marine oil esters in relative (area-%) values, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in absolute (g/100 g) values using a bonded polyglycol liquid phase in a flexible fused silica capillary column. C23:0 fatty acid was used as an internal standard.For methyl esterification of oil samples for the analysis of cis-fatty acids, two drops of the oil sample were weighed and transferred to a 15 ml test tube with a screw cap. The test amount should be between 20 and 35 mg. Exactly 900 µl of the internal standard solution was added. The solvent was evaporated by nitrogen on a heating block at 80 °C. NaOH solution (1.5 ml, 0.5 N) was added. The mix was incubated in boiling water for 5 min and cooled in cold water. A 15% BF3-solution (2 ml) was added. The mix was again incubated in boiling water for 30 min and cooled to 30–40 °C. Isooctane (1 ml) was added. A cork was set, and the mixture grated with gentle movements for 30 s. Saturated NaCl (5 ml) was added immediately. A cork was set, and the mixture was again grated with gentle movements for 30 s. The isooctane phase was transferred to a test tube with a lid. The test tube was centrifuged at 3000 rpm if phase separation was difficult to achieve. Another 1 ml of isooctane was added to the test tube. A cork was set, and the mixture grated with gentle movements for 30 s. The isooctane phase was transferred to the same test tube with a lid. 5 µl of this transferred isooctane phase was diluted into a new test tube with 1 ml of isooctane.The procedure for methyl esterification of trans-fatty acids was identical to that for methyl esterification of cis-fatty acids, with one exception: incubation time after the addition of BF3-solution was 5 min.For the GC analysis an analytical capillary column (60 m × 0.25 mm × 0.25 µm-70% Cyanopropyl Polysilphenylene-siloxane) was used. (P/N: 054623, manufacturer: SGE). During the analysis the gas valves on the wall panel for synthetic air and hydrogen were left open.Two different GC programs were used for the analysis (Table 1).Table 1 GC-program for analysis of fatty acids.Full size tableThe identification of the different fatty acid methyl esters was performed by comparing the pattern and relative retention times by chromatography of different standards. Empirical response factor was used in quantifying fatty acids, based on calibration solution analysis with equal amounts of included fatty acid methyl esters (GLC-793, Nu-Chek-Prep Inc. Elysian MN, USA). It was calculated according to the Eq. (6):$${RF}_{em }=frac{{A}_{23:0}}{{A}_{FS}}$$
(6)
The absolute amount of each fatty acid, calculated as fatty acid methyl ester was calculated according to the Eq. (7):$${C}_{FS}(g/100)=left(frac{{A}_{FS }times {IS}_{W} times {RF}_{em} }{ {A}_{23:0} times W}right)times 100$$
(7)
where AFS = Area of the fatty acid A23:0 = Area of internal standard; ISW = Number of milligrams (mg) internal standard added; RFem = Empirical response factor to the fatty acid with reference to 23:0; W = Weighed sample amount in milligrams (mg); 100 = Factor for conversion to g/100 g13,14,15.Lipid classesThe dominant lipid classes were separated by HPLC equipped with a LiChroCART 125-4, diol 5 µm column and a Charged Aerosol Detector (CAD), using a tertiary gradient mobile phase composition. The fat was extracted as previously described (“Fat content”). A suitable amount of CH3Cl was added to the fat sample, the mix was pipetted into a tared test tube and evaporated on a heating block under nitrogen. The temperature of the heating block must be at 60 °C. The test tube with the evaporated sample was weighed and the weight of the fat calculated. The sample was diluted with an appropriate amount of CH3Cl. Prior to injection the CAD detector was programmed with these settings: range = 500, Filter = Med, Offset = 5, T = 30 °C. The gradient profile is shown Table 2.Table 2 Gradient profile for separation of lipid classes.Full size tableThe quantification was based on external standards with a purity ≥ 98%. Triacylglycerols (TAG) in natural marine oils have a large elution range compared to the other lipid classes, therefore a standard control oil (fish oil) for the preparation of the TAG standard curve was used. This provides a better adaptation to real samples compared to a pure TAG compound.Meat contentMeat content was measured on cooked clusters from the middle of the merus on the first walking leg as an area-percentage of meat-to-shell using an elliptic area formula; Internal height and width of shells and external height and width of muscle was measured, width (w) and height (h) were multiplied to each other and π to calculate the elliptical areas (n = 56 September, n = 45 December, n = 29 February, n = 66 April, n = 50 June). The meat content (MC) was defined as the percentage of space occupied by meat according to the Eq. (8) and the hepatopancreas index (HI) was calculated according to the Eq. (9):$$MCleft(%right)=frac{h;muscletimes w;muscletimes pi }{h;shelltimes w;shelltimes pi }times 100$$
(8)
$$HIleft(%right)=frac{{W}_{hept}}{{W}_{live}}times 100$$
(9)
where Whept is the weight of the hepatopancreas and Wlive is the live weight of the crab (n = 56 September, n = 50 December, n = 70 February, n = 70 April, n = 50 June).Graphs, ordinary one-way ANOVA, and linear regressions were made using GraphPad Prism version 7.03 (CA, USA). Meat content data failed the normality test (Shapiro–Wilk) and was analysed using Kruskal–Wallis One Way Analyses of Variance on Ranks and statistical significance was assumed when P More
