Boiled and chilled clusters of red king crab have a recommended shelf life of five days, according to the latest shelf life study carried out by food research institute, Nofima.
The meat tissue from the shoulder and legs of the clusters were tested with respect to microbiology, acidity (pH factor), colour, smell and taste, as part of the studiy, which was conducted for the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF).
“As the crab meat in the leg is well protected by the shell, the meat has a longer shelf life than meat from the shoulder. The shorter shelf life for meat located in the shoulder may be attributed to the fact that it is exposed and not protected,” said Grete Lorentzen, senior scientist, Nofima.
“We determined that the meat in the leg has a shelf life of eight days, while the meat located in the shoulder has a shelf life of five days. As it is impractical to operate with two different shelf lives for the same product, the overall recommendation is a shelf life of five days for boiled and chilled clusters,” she added.
Today, there is an increasing demand for boiled and chilled clusters of king crab, which are harvested on the Finnmark Coast by the coastal fishing fleet.
The crabs that were tested were produced by Storbukt Fiskeindustri AS in Honningsvåg, Norway, in February 2013.
Following capture, they were stored in live tanks for one to two weeks prior to production, which involved ‘breaking’ into two clusters, boiling and chilling.
