Food properties of common West African fresh water male and female crab

Food properties (water, oil, oil emulsion and foaming capacities: WAC, OAC, OEC, FC; foaming and oil emulsion stabilities: FS, OES; least gelation concentration: LGC; protein solubility: PS) of common West African Fresh water crab (Sudananautes africanus africanus) were determined. Samples used were the soft flesh, exoskeleton and whole crab. In the flesh, levels of WAC, FC, OAC, OEC were better in female than in male; this type of consistency was not observed in exoskeleton and whole crab. In both sexes, LGC values were lower in the whole crab and exoskeleton than the flesh. Both FS and OES were low in all the samples. The rate of change of FS was lowest in female whole crab (0.54 min – 1) but highest in male exoskeleton (3.89 min – 1). OES was low in all samples and collapsed within four minutes. PS was female flesh > female exoskeleton > female whole crab > male flesh > male whole crab > male exoskeleton with 66.7% of samples showing two isoelectric points (pI).