Handling of Fresh Crabs and Crabmeat

doi:10.4027/hfcc.2009 by Don Kramer, Heidi Herter, and Al Stoner Introduction The king, Tanner, and Dungeness crab fisheries are important parts of the Alaska seafood industry, and the snow crab fishery is increasing in importance. Crab is marketed fresh in several forms—live, whole cooked, cooked sections, and cooked picked meat (Fig. 1). Crabs deteriorate very rapidly after death, as a consequence of the growth and multiplication of microorganisms and the action of enzymes. Deterioration is much more rapid than for most species of fish. Therefore crabs must be kept alive until they are processed. Because live crabs are delicate animals, they need to be handled with great care at all times. If weakened to the point that they are barely alive before processing, the meat may be discolored and chalky in texture, and have poor keeping qualities. Cooked crabmeat is an excellent growth medium for bacteria and is easily spoiled. For this reason, it must not be exposed to bacterial contamination and should be kept cold and handled as rapidly as possible during all steps of processing, shipping, and marketing.