In vitro digestion simulation of the meat of Chinese mitten crab: From the perspectives of origin and cooking time

The aim of this study is to evaluate the nutritional quality and protein composition differences of Chinese mitten crabs from two production areas, Chongming in Shanghai (CM) and Taixing in Jiangsu (TX), as well as the effects of three different heating times of 15 min (15M), 20 min (20M), and 25 min (25M) on their protein degradation characteristics in vitro. The analysis of nutritional quality showed that the CM group had better amino acid composition than the TX group, and the random coil content of the CM group was lower than that of the TX group, resulting in a more stable protein structure in the CM group. The digestion characteristics of 15M reached the best among the three groups, as prolonged heating can disrupt protein structure and cause aggregation, resulting in fewer enzyme cleavage sites and poorer digestion characteristics. In terms of microstructure observation, CM has smaller protein particles than TX group, and in other similar digestive characteristics, the particle size is smaller. Therefore, a heating time of 15 min can improve the digestion characteristics of Chinese mitten crab meat, and the CM group has better nutritional quality and digestion characteristics than the TX group.