• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.469-480
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• 1996

Nitrogenous constituents in the extract of 3 species of raw and boiled crabs, tenner crab (Chionoeretes opilio elongatus), horsehair crab (Erimacrus isenbecki), and blue crab (Portunus trituberculatus) caught in the Korean adjacent sea, were analyzed and compared their compositions with the sex and the tissues, body meat, leg meat, and viscera. The crabs contained about 3％ of the extractive nitrogenous constituents in the tissues, meat and viscera. The free amino acid compositions were commonly featured a high content of arginine, taurine, proline, and glycine regardless of the differences in species and tissues. Free amino acids and quarternary bases were greatly increased in hot water extraction while nucleotides were slightly diminished. Glycine betaine and trimethylaminoxide were accounted for above 30% of the total extractive nitrogenous constituents. Arginine, taurine, proline, glycine, glycine betaine, and trimethylaminoxide which abundant in the meats and viscera of the crabs were estimated to greatly contribute directly or indirectly toward appearing the characteristic crabs taste.