Evaluation of Nutritional Value of the First Generation (G1) of Population Breeding of Eriocheir sinensis “King Crab 1”

The nutritional composition of commercially valuable crabs is governed by a complex interplay of hereditary factors, growth environment, developmental stage and feed composition. In this study, the nutritional characteristics of edible tissues were quantitatively compared among four populations of Eriocheir sinensis: a non-selected group (NF), the G1 generation of the selective bred “King Crab 1” group (SF), the SF group with water quality regulated using microbiological agents (SF8) and a chilled-fish feeding group (CF). Growth metric analysis revealed that females in the SF group exhibited slightly superior growth performance compared to other groups. Amino acid analysis demonstrated that compared to the NF group, the content of essential and umami amino acids in the ovary was remarkably increased in the SF8 group. Additionally, the SF and CF groups exhibited elevated contents of flavor amino acids in male crabs. Moreover, the CF group exhibited the highest contents of EPA and DHA, and the highest n-3/n-6 PUFAs ratio, with the SF group following. Overall, although the G1 generation of selectively bred crabs demonstrated improved nutritional indicators compared to the unselected group, they still lagged behind the CF group in several aspects. These findings provide valuable insights and data support for future breeding strategies.