Exploration on the quality changes and flavour characteristics of freshwater crayfish (Procambarus clarkia) during steaming and boiling

Steaming and boiling are two commonly used pretreatments in the industrial processing of crayfish products. However, these two methods mainly depend on the empirical understanding of workers rather than scientific guidance, which results in variable qualities and unstable tastes of crayfish. Therefore, in this work, freshwater crayfish (Procambarus clarkia) were selected as the experimental object, and the texture, sensory evaluation and volatile flavours were explored during steaming and boiling. The results showed that 4 min was the optimal duration for both steaming and boiling according to the comprehensive scores of sensory evaluations (6.72 ± 1.87 and 6.92 ± 1.87, respectively). The texture profile analysis corroborated the results of the sensory evaluation. The compositions of fatty acids and free amino acids were significantly influenced after steaming or boiling treatments, and these variations were significantly correlated with the flavour formations and contents of key flavour compound. Nonanal, decanal, 1-octene-3-ol and octanal were identified as the main key flavour compounds in the cooked crayfish. In summary, steaming and boiling showed similar influences on the qualities and flavours of crayfish tail meat, except for a slight difference in flavour composition. This research provides guidance for the industrial processing of crayfish, especially for the booming industry of prepared dishes.