Studies on Flavor Components in Boiled Crabs-I

Amino Acids and Related Compounds in the Extracts

Abstract

In order to elucidate the flavor components characteristic of boiled crabs, the suitable method
of extraction was examined and extracts were prepared from different edible parts of five species of crab. The amino acid composition of the extracts was analyzed as the first step of a series of of investigations on the flavor components. A common feature of the free amino acid composition of the leg meat extracts was a very high content of glycine and arginine, with somewhat lower amounts of proline and taurine; the former two comprised about 50% of the total of free amino acids. In the extracts of the hepatopancreas and ovary, the abundant amino acids were taurine, glycine, and arginine. After acid hydrolysis of the extracts, the total of free amino acids showed a 10-20% increase in the leg meat and the ovary and a 50-70% increase in the hepatopancreas, The main amino acids to increase were glutamic and aspartic acids.