Edible Quality of Procambarus clarkii by Sex Reared in the Ponds in Cold Regions

The crayfish Procambarus clarkii is a benthic crustacean known for jumping and crawling. P. clarkii is traditionally cultivated in the Yangtze River Basin in provinces of Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangsu. However, P. clarkii cultivation is gradually expanding to northern regions, such as Heilongjiang Province. P. clarkii yield has also annually increased with advances in cultivating and breeding the seedlings in cold regions. Sexually mature female and male P. clarkii were collected to investigate the effect of sex on their edible quality when reared in ponds in cold regions. Edibility indices (the chelate proportion, hepatosomatic index, and meat yield) and quality characteristics (proximate composition, fatty acids, free amino acids, and mineral elements) under similar body weight were evaluated. The cheliform weight and chelate proportion of the females were significantly lower than those of the males, whereas the hepatopancreas weight, abdominal muscle weight, hepatosomatic index, and meat yield of the females were highly significantly higher (PPPPPP. clarkii muscles (7 items) were significantly lower than those in the hepatopancreas (31 items), with only C16:1n7, C17:1n7, LA, ALA, ARA, C20:3n3, and ∑EFA being significantly or highly significantly different (PPPP>0.05). The Fe content and proportion in the hepatopancreas of P. clarkii were significantly higher than those in the muscles, indicating that the hepatopancreas is an important source of Fe for the human. In summary, P. clarkii sex strongly impacted the edible yield, proximate composition, and fatty acids in the hepatopancreas. Sex had a relatively weak impact on free amino acids, mineral elements, and fatty acids in the muscles. This study provides basic data for understanding how edible quality differs between the sexes of P. clarkii reared in cold regions.