Determination of proximate composition on some edible crabs with special reference to nutritional aspects collected from coastal waters of Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

The proximate composition, fatty acid profile, and mineral contents of the swimming crabs Portunus sanguinolentus and Portunus pelagicus were examined. P. sanguinolentus has 10.93 % fat and 26.52 % protein. P. pelagicus included 9.93 % of fat and 16.62 % of protein. Of the 15 fatty acids detected in crab oil. PUFAs are predominant with a percentage of (31.3 %) and (26.59 %) of the total fatty acid profile. methyl stearate (11.88 % and11.69 %) was the largest component, followed by docosahexaenoic acid (8.93 % and 8.85 %) respectively. Crabs from the Rameswaram coast contain excellent sources of minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, manganese, and zinc. This study unequivocally demonstrates that the two species of Rameswaram coast genus Portunus crabs are more valuable as seafood.