FROZEN STORAGE QUALITY CHANGES IN WHOLE JONAH CRABS

The Jonah crab is an underutilized species in the mid-Atlantic region, and use of the whole, frozen crab would broaden marketing options for this seafood product. We monitored quality changes in whole cooked crabs held in a blast freezer for up to 50 weeks. A sensory evaluation panel determined the point at which detectable differences appeared in the product. Microbiological testing was conducted at selected intervals to assess bacterial content. In a triangle test, frozen experimental samples of leg meat were first differentiated from frozen controls at approximately 24 weeks. No significant difference was defected in body meat for up to 33 weeks’ storage. Microbial quality was acceptable throughout the experiment.