Effect of sex and tissue on fatty acid composition in the meat of Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) from the Persian Gulf, Iran

Fatty acids composition in edible parts of Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) caught in the Persian Gulf close to the Bushehr Province were investigated. Among saturated fatty acids (SFA), the 16:0 and 18:0 fatty acids were the most two dominant fatty acids in meat tissues that analyzed. 18:1n-9 and 16:1n-7 were the major fatty acids among the MUFAs of male and female crab. The main PUFAs in lipids of crab meat were 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3. The n-3 PUFA content was highest in female claw meat (20.26%) and lowest in male meat (11.31%), respectively. The sex and tissue had a significant influence on the EPA, DHA and n-3 HUFA. The highest amounts of DHA and the favorable n-6/n-3 ratio in the meat of blue swimming crab indicate that the claw and breast meat is a very omega-rich edible portion of crab body.