4 °C - the National Sea Grant Library

Sensory evaluations of lump, special and claw meats before and after steaming
were performed by trained staff at the NCSU Seafood Lab. No (lump, claw) or little
(special) free liquid was observed in one pound containers of meat stored for 48 hours
on ice. Steamed lump meat was judged to be less yellow and glossy and slightly gray,
drier and more fibrous that controls. Steamed claw meat was slightly darker, drier and
noticeably sweeter that controls. Steamed special was slightly darker with a noticeable
dark concentric ring at the meat surface.
CONCLUSIONS
The present method of air cooling atmospheric steamed crab meat prior to
packing requires additional handling by employees and has poential for air-borne
contamination of the product. Hot filling of crab meat reduces this risk with a slight
increase in the cooling rate obtained. The potential for developing direct filling
techniques with atmospheric steamed crab meat is evident. This study demonstrated
the adequacy of the atmospheric steam process for control of Listeria monoctyopenes.
It offers industry several opportunities for reducing cooling rates of atmospheric
steamed crab meat thereby reducing the opportunity for post-process contamination.
Develop of rapid cooling techniques and the proper application of the atmospheric
steam process by the U.S. blue crab industry would provide consumers with crab
meat of higher bacteriological quality and a greater margin of safety.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors acknowledge the assistance of JoAnna Tharrington and Suzanne
Lockhart for performing analyses for color and microbiological quality, respectively.
Special thanks to Mario Ferruzi, a chemistry major at Duke University, Durham, N.C.
and Mr. Brent Fulcher, President of Craven Crab Company, New Bern, N.C. This
project could not have been possible without their cooperation and assistance. This
work was partially supported by a grant from the National Sea Grant Program,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to the NC Sea Grant Program
under Project No. A/AE10C and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Service-The use of trade names in this publication does not imply endorsement by
North Carolina State University, nor criticism of similar ones not mentioned.