Comparative quality evaluation of processed clusters obtained from red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) typical of spring and autumn harvests in the Barents Sea

The red king crab (RKC, Paralithodes camtschaticus) is a highly-valued decapod species of key importance for the economy of the northern Norwegian coastal region. Nearly the entire harvested volume (1727 t in 2019) is exported to high-end markets, mostly as live crabs, although RKC can also be processed into two sections (i.e., clusters) commercialized as a frozen or ready-to-eat product under refrigeration. The fact that the Norwegian RKC fishery is a year-round activity constitutes an advantage over competing RKC fisheries, which are inactive during the winter and the spring. Nonetheless, this also involves the commercialization of RKC harvested between March and May, when its quality is considered poorer due to the physiological changes related to molting. This study aimed to acquire quantitative information on the seasonal quality variation of RKC by comparatively evaluating the quality attributes of spring and autumn harvests, which are, respectively, associated predominantly with a postmolt and intermolt population. Specifically, in the processed clusters obtained from spring postmolt RKCs, it was observed significantly (p < 0.05) lower exoskeleton thickness, yield (by between 8 and 15 percentage points), and leg meat content. The cooked meat of spring postmolt RKCs had significantly lower textural firmness and whiteness index. Furthermore, during refrigerated storage, cooked clusters of spring postmolt RKCs were characterized by significantly higher drip loss, and their leg meat reached significantly earlier the acceptability limit of 5 log CFU g−1 in the total viable psychrotrophic count. The present study highlighted the risk of incurring economic losses for stakeholders along the value chain when dealing with postmolt RKC harvested in the spring. It should be questioned if the commercialization of the RKCs with poorer eating quality attributes in the spring season is an appropriate way to utilize at best this natural resource in terms of value creation, market reputation, and sustainability.