Characterization and split-split-plot analysis of steamed factors affecting the swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus) flavor quality

Swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus) is a kind of popular crab for being rich in nutrition and intense in flavor. The time and heat exposure cause differences in flavor during steaming, dramatically affecting first impression and acceptability. The quality of P. trituberculatus with different steaming methods (steam with Room Temperature Water, RTW and steam with Boiling Water, BW) was evaluated using consumer acceptability, sensory characterization, and instrumental analysis. The split-split plot analysis was employed to compared the effects of the edible parts, steaming methods and steaming time. The results demonstrated that the hedonic score of crab meat was 1.3 times higher than that of hepatopancreas. Edible parts were the most important factor followed by the steaming method without interaction. The female crab meat (F-M) and male crab meat (M-M) were correlated with positive emotions, while opposite for hepatopancreas. RTW was more likely to evoke positive emotions, while BW followed the opposite trend. Instrumental analysis revealed that the types of volatiles produced with BW were similar to those by RTW, but their contents are generally 1.5-2.5 times higher. In sum, P. trituberculatus which were steamed for 25 min using RTW may be more acceptable.