Abstract The trade of live crustacean species is a unique practice that attracts costumers by ensuring crab freshness. This seafood is consumed worldwide because of its nutritional value and positive impact on human health. However, few studies address the impact of the complex live-trade chain on the animal and meat quality parameters. We aimed to study the air-exposure and re-immersion effect on Southern King Crab (SKC) Lithodes santolla biochemical and meat quality parameters. Live SKC were air-exposed for 24 h at 8 °C and then re-immersed in seawater for 24, 48 and 96 h, at the same temperature. We recorded crab vigor, as well as raw and cooked meat parameters, to assess the quality after dry-transport simulation and during re-immersion. Specifically, biochemical parameters such as proximate chemical composition and lactate accumulation, and quality parameters such as total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and textural properties were assessed. We found no mortality after the air-exposure interval, with vigor values recovering after 96 h of re-immersion. Besides, the air-exposure interval increased the TVB-N, as it decreased pH and moisture of cooked meat, but did not affect the meat texture or cooking yield. We conclude that air-exposure has a subtle impact on Lithodes santolla meat quality and changes are reversed after the re-immersion of crabs in recirculating seawater aquaria. Ensuring live trade quality of crustacean meat after long dry-transport allows for market expansion, since crabs can be transported to more distant regions. This would also have a positive impact on high-seas fisheries, because crab could be maintained until ships arrive ashore.

中文翻译：

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运输模拟和重新浸泡后南方帝王蟹肉的生化和质量参数

摘要 活甲壳类动物贸易是一种独特的做法，通过确保螃蟹的新鲜度来吸引消费者。这种海鲜因其营养价值和对人类健康的积极影响而在全球范围内消费。然而，很少有研究涉及复杂的活体贸易链对动物和肉类质量参数的影响。我们旨在研究空气暴露和再浸泡对南方帝王蟹 (SKC) Lithodes santolla 生化和肉质参数的影响。将活 SKC 在 8°C 下暴露于空气中 24 小时，然后在相同温度下重新浸入海水中 24、48 和 96 小时。我们记录了螃蟹活力以及生肉和熟肉参数，以评估干运输模拟后和重新浸泡期间的质量。具体来说，生化参数，如近似化学成分和乳酸积累，并评估了质量参数，例如总挥发性碱性氮 (TVB-N) 和质地特性。我们发现在空气暴露间隔后没有死亡，重新浸泡 96 小时后活力值恢复。此外，空气暴露间隔增加了 TVB-N，因为它降低了熟肉的 pH 值和水分，但不影响肉质或烹饪产量。我们得出结论，空气暴露对 Lithodes santolla 的肉质有微妙的影响，并且在将螃蟹重新浸泡在循环海水水族箱中后，变化会发生逆转。确保长期干运后甲壳类肉的活体贸易质量可以扩大市场，因为螃蟹可以运输到更远的地区。这也会对公海渔业产生积极影响，因为螃蟹可以一直饲养到船只上岸。