Comparison of the nutritional qualities of the pond, rice-field and wild crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) meat

The meat yield, and chemical and nutrients composition of the pond, rice-field and wild-caught crayfish meat were investigated. The results showed that the meat yield of pond crayfish (10.52%) was significantly higher than that of rice-field (10.05%) and wild-caught (10.32%) crayfish. The rice-field crayfish meat had the highest moisture contents (81.43%) and the lowest protein content (15.50%). The higher lipid contents were found in the rice-field and pond crayfish meat (1.10% and 1.19%, respectively). While, the pond crayfish meat had the highest essential amino acids (6.09 g/100 g) and total amino acids (16.21 g/100 g) content, and the Σn-3/Σn-6 PUFA ratio (1.78). The essential amino acid index in the pond and rice-field crayfish meat was higher than 70 which indicated that they were high-quality protein. The pond crayfish meat contained more macro-minerals, but less micro-minerals. While, the trace minerals were rich in the rice-field crayfish meat. The heavy metals contents in the crayfish meat were under limit. Overall, the pond, rice-field and wild-caught crayfish meat all exhibited good nutritional quality, and the pond crayfish meat showed better in terms of amino acids and fatty acids composition. For the rice-field crayfish, most of its nutritional quality were similar with the wild-caught crayfish.