Crab sticks studied: minimum starch, maximum protein

Crab sticks are a product that appeared on the shelves of our stores in the early 90s. Since then, a lot of recipes using them have been invented. The famous crab salad is sure to be on the holiday table, and among the admirers of this delicious seafood there are both adults and children. Despite the fact that the product does not contain crab meat, it does not lose its popularity. The article discusses the benefits and harms of crab sticks and answers the questions: can they be consumed by children, how to select and store them.

What are crab sticks made from?

The main component of seafood is surimi, which is the name given to healthy minced ocean fish in Japan. Among the ingredients of surimi are mackerel, hake, blue whiting and other fish with white meat. The procedure for its preparation consists of washing pieces of fish fillet, chopping it and mixing it into a homogeneous mass. The mixture is then placed in a centrifuge to remove excess liquid. The result is a soft mass with a pleasant taste and aroma of fish. Due to its unique beneficial properties, surimi is used in the preparation of many dishes that imitate seafood, including crab sticks.

Such minced meat is recognized as a useful ingredient, containing many minerals and vitamins and not harmful to health. But after its processing, their quantity and, as a result, their benefits are significantly reduced. In addition, there are manufacturers who add by-products to surimi, which reduces the quality of the minced meat and changes its smell, taste, color, and numerous flavoring additives cause significant harm to the body.

In order to save money, soy protein is added to seafood. As you know, soy is the result of genetic modification; its harm and benefits are ambiguous. Therefore, products with o. In addition, egg powder, vegetable oil, starch, salt and sugar are added. To obtain the necessary taste, they do not spare a lot of chemical additives, which are not beneficial, but harmful to humans.

Composition of surimi

What are crab sticks made from today? Their composition has changed greatly thanks to modern technologies and many chemical additives. A natural product should not contain carbohydrates at all, but due to additional components, modern crab sticks contain about 15 g of them. The composition also contains fish protein, the amount of which may vary depending on the production technology of the product and the brand’s recipe. The calorie content of surimi is only 80-100 Kcal per 100 g of product.

In order to purchase a quality product and not fall for a counterfeit, you should remember that the basis for imitation crab meat should be minced fish - surimi. Various manufacturers use starch, egg white, salt, sugar, vegetable oil, possibly water and food additives as additional components. Many of them are prohibited in EU countries, and in our country they are widely used by unscrupulous manufacturers, so special attention should be paid to them. By the way, the composition of Vici crab sticks does not contain such additives, since the brand’s products are imported to various countries around the world and meet their quality standards.

Chemical composition and calorie content of crab sticks

The calorie content of seafood is only 88 kcal per 100 grams. Therefore, they can be usefully used by people who watch their weight.

In addition, the semi-finished product contains useful vitamins PP, H, E.

Macronutrients:

• sulfur;
• chlorine.

Microelements:

• molybdenum;
• nickel;
• fluorine;
• chromium;
• zinc.

Useful properties of crab sticks

It makes sense to talk about the benefits of crab sticks for the body only when they are made from surimi, which has a lot of useful properties. Only in such a situation will they be able to reveal their beneficial properties and transfer valuable components to the body: proteins, minerals and vitamins - and bring benefits.

Important! To obtain benefits and not harm, you should purchase a product made from surimi.

If the semi-finished product is contained as an ingredient in salads, then it is necessary to analyze the properties of the remaining components.

It is better to give them to the child in minimal quantities and of the highest quality. Only in this case there will be no harm from their use. In addition, they may contain microelements that have beneficial properties for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Chopsticks preparation technology

Every buyer of this food product is well aware of the attractive and appetizing appearance of the crab product supplied to store shelves.

Knowledge of cooking technology will help you understand the difference in the contents of the packaging and evaluate the beneficial properties of the placed food intended for nutrition.

Crab sticks are produced on fully automated lines, which consist of a special device for chopping fish, a cutter (works on the principle of a blender), mixers, units for mixing raw materials, coolers and devices for slicing and packaging products.

To obtain the best minced meat, dense white fish meat with minimal fat content is suitable. Often, fresh catch of suitable varieties is used as a basis: hake, golden threader (itoyori), mackerel, pollock.

The production process consists of several stages:

• The initial stage consists of cutting the cleaned carcass fillets. Remove bones, skin and heads. Fishmeal is prepared from them.
• Next, the pulp is thoroughly washed and then crushed. The resulting mass is again repeatedly treated with water, as a result of which only insoluble proteins remain in the minced meat. This is how surimi is created.
• At the next stage, the washed composition is placed in a centrifuge, designed to remove excess moisture from the mixture, obtaining a plastic, light, odorless and colorless mass. Sugar and salt, vegetable oil, egg white and natural stabilizers are added to this mixture.
• The resulting dough (surimi) is brought to a homogeneous state, a sheet is rolled out with a special device, which is treated with steam and naturally frozen to -40 °C.
• The prepared layer is rolled up into a rope, placed in a special protective film, and cut into neat pieces of the same length.
• The manufactured blocks are packaged in film and the air is pumped out of it.
• At the final stage, the machine seals the packages in flexible polyethylene. The sticks are pasteurized, cooled, and subjected to shock freezing.

Despite the fact that as a result of this process, almost only fish protein remains in the product, the appetizing food does not lose its attractiveness and popularity.

Are crab sticks good for you on a diet?

The semi-finished product contains relatively few calories and practically no fat, this property makes it convenient to eat as a light snack. However, if we take into account the small amount of useful substances, the content of dyes and preservatives and a fairly large number of artificial additives, we can conclude that the product is more likely to cause harm than benefit.

Thus, despite their low calorie content, you should not overuse them; nevertheless, their beneficial properties are small. You can occasionally include them in your diet as an addition to some dishes.

Recommended reading: Benefits of boiled beets for the body

Can crab sticks be consumed by pregnant and lactating women?

The chemical components of this semi-finished product will end up in breast milk, which can adversely affect the health of the newborn. Allergic reactions, adverse events from the digestive system, or even the development of the disease will be provoked.

Therefore, women during breastfeeding are not recommended to eat them in the same quantities as they were consumed before pregnancy. It is allowed to add them only occasionally, for example, to salads, provided there are no allergies.

Important! You can use crab sticks during breastfeeding with your doctor's permission.

It is important not to forget that when consuming seafood for the first time during lactation, only a minimal amount of this product is allowed. This way the mother will be able to assess the child’s body’s reaction to new food. If the child does not have allergic reactions, the amount of the product can be increased. However, they cannot be abused: the daily presence of semi-finished products in the diet of a nursing woman is not allowed. Thus, there is no benefit from crab sticks for women during lactation.

And again about losing weight

Once again, we want to get a little boring and remind you of important truths: a person can lose weight without exercise, on conditionally “unhealthy” foods, if he follows the most important condition - spending more calories than he receives.

Please note that we are not talking about health or well-being now, we are talking specifically about losing weight. Products are not divided into “fat-gaining” and “weight-loss”, as people often subconsciously divide them - not at all.

Any product, even low-calorie and conditionally classified as “healthy” (for whom, in what case?) will help you gain weight if you eat tons of it. And a cheeseburger will not cause any damage to your figure if you previously ran a 21 km marathon.

Don’t try to find some magical list in the style of “weight loss products” - there simply isn’t one. Yes, it is much more difficult to gain weight on celery and eggs than on food from McDonald's, but this does not mean that the latter should now be completely ostracized.

Food is an excellent source of useful and simply necessary substances for our body, energy and nutrition for the brain, but it is also the simplest source of pleasure. This is not about food addiction and eating disorders , but about a simple and banal “mmm, how delicious.”

Many of us are accustomed to subconsciously perceiving the body as an enemy. Relatively speaking, it’s summer, it’s time to put on a swimsuit, and your body wants to get fat! Well, let's quickly starve him, lose two kilos in three days!

We do not respect ourselves, do not listen to the needs of the body and do not feel sorry for ourselves in those moments when it is most needed. In fact, the body is simply trying to adapt to the conditions in which we have placed it.

Every person is unique. There is not a single universal diet that is medicine for one person, but stress for another . Therefore, the criteria for the usefulness of food are as follows: its freshness, whether your body wants this food or not, how much and often you are going to eat it.

The 80/20 principle (80% of the diet - unrefined, plant-based foods, a la cereals, vegetables, fruits, lean white meat and dairy products), 20% - sweets and fast food) works, forgive the stupid pun, 100%.

Crab sticks for children

Crab sticks are an unnatural product that contains a large number of various additives. The semi-finished product contains a minimal amount of beneficial properties, but can cause harm in the form of an allergic reaction or even poisoning. Therefore, it is better not to give this product to children under 3–4 years of age. At such a tender age, the child’s digestive system is very sensitive to additives.

Crab sticks for gastritis and pancreatitis

Experts confidently state that crab sticks should not be present in the diet of patients with gastritis and pancreatitis. This is explained by the fact that in their production a huge number of different food colors, flavors, and preservatives are used. For persons with diseases of the digestive system, this is strictly prohibited.

For example, in people with gastritis and high acidity, the use of such products can cause severe irritation of the stomach walls, which can result in an exacerbation and worsening of the condition. Therefore, additives and preservatives make sticks a product that should not be present in the diet of people with digestive problems.

Advice! It is better to purchase low-fat varieties of fish, it will be healthy and safe.

Crab sticks for diabetes

Almost all useful elements, vitamins and minerals are destroyed during the manufacture of the semi-finished product, leaving only vegetable protein in the composition, so there is no question of benefits for diabetics. This is a low-calorie product, so it can be consumed, but only occasionally. It is important to understand that the products are harmful for patients with diabetes and are not beneficial due to the high content of preservatives, stabilizers and flavor enhancers. Such components tend to provoke allergies, exacerbation of chronic diseases and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

Important! For diseases of the pancreas, crab sticks are contraindicated and will not bring any benefit.

What are chopsticks made of?

Despite the popularity of the product, many on domestic tables still do not understand what surimi is. This is a concentrated fish protein that does not have enzymes, fats and cholesterol, has high elasticity and gelling properties. Such minced meat simply has no color or smell, and fish for its production is suitable only with white meat. Most often, crab sticks contain cod fish - hake, pollock or blue whiting, but tropical species can also be used.

Sardines, giant squid, mackerel and other species are also considered suitable, but the minced meat from them is dark, so this product is classified as second-class.

Harm of crab sticks and contraindications

The semi-finished product contains additives such as E-450, E-420 and E-160, which tend to provoke allergic reactions. People prone to allergies should be careful when consuming them so as not to harm their health. It is recommended to consume no more than 100 grams at a time.

Since the semi-finished product is not subjected to heat treatment, there is a risk of contamination by microorganisms. It is better to purchase the product in vacuum packaging, it will protect the product from the penetration of dirt and germs.

The composition may contain soy protein, which can provoke an exacerbation of chronic kidney and liver diseases. It is better for people with such diseases not to include these products in their diet.

CRAB STICKS: STARCH OR FISH?

One of the most important indicators of the quality of crab sticks is the amount of protein in them. Protein can tell you how much minced fish the product contains.

As a rule, the less protein in crab sticks, the more starch and, accordingly, less fish.

– Surimi is a complete fish protein

, says
Lyubov Abramova
.
– As a result of washing the minced meat, extractive substances, water-soluble proteins, amines, which have an unpleasant odor, and some of them cause an allergic reaction, are removed from it.
Pollock-based surimi is of higher quality and more valuable for making crab sticks. A product based on minced pollock contains about 16% protein. It is by the amount of protein that crab sticks are divided into economy and premium class

.

• Economy class
  crab sticks have less protein and more carbohydrates (due to starch).
• to prepare premium
  . It is prepared by concentrating the broth obtained by boiling crabs. This is a product with a high protein content that is as close as possible to the original.

Lyubov Abramova comments

When manufacturing products for market segments with different pricing policies, the manufacturer uses different approaches. For example, it reduces the cost of raw materials, replaces some of the minced meat with various starches, uses soy proteins, etc.

According to labeling requirements, it must indicate all these components in the product. When replacing minced fish with corn, tapioca or other starch, the protein content in the finished product decreases. Thus, crab sticks appear on the shelves containing from 5 to 14% protein and, accordingly, from 14 to 4% carbohydrates. Initially, when developing a new type of product, the issue of bringing it closer to natural not only in appearance, but also in nutritional value was resolved. Crab meat contains an average of 17% protein

, canned crab meat - about 19%. Thus, crab sticks containing 5% protein, which have appeared in recent years, no longer meet the previously set goal for nutritional value, but may be more accessible from an economic point of view.

The rating of the studied crab sticks according to the amount of protein they contain can be found HERE (2017) and HERE (2020).

However, neither the amount of protein nor the amount of starch in crab sticks is regulated by Russian legislation. That is why Roskachestvo has established standards for these indicators. According to them, products with a mass fraction of protein of at least 8% and a mass fraction of starch of no more than 14% can be considered high-quality.

Based on the results of tests, the mass fraction of protein in crab sticks of 18 brands was less than 8%. This indicates that there is not enough minced fish in the products. This is not a violation, however, these products are deprived of the opportunity to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark.

But the top three richest in protein in 2021 were:

:

1. Fish House – 16.3% protein.
2. “Tokimo. Snow crab - 13.24% protein.
3. “New Ocean” – 10.32 ± 0.14% protein. (However, the bronze medalist contains soy. Details below.)

In turn, the amount of starch is more than 14% in the products of most brands. These products are also deprived of the opportunity to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark. But there are no such comments for the products examined in 2021. Starch content varies from 7 to 12%. Details are in the product cards HERE

.

How to select and store crab sticks

In order to get beneficial properties from crab sticks and not harm, it is extremely important to choose the right product.

• Package. It is better to prefer seafood in a vacuum; it tends to protect the contents from the penetration of bacteria and microorganisms.
• Composition and expiration date. A healthy product must contain at least 40% minced fish. Surimi should be in first place in the lineup.
• Food additives, stabilizers and flavor enhancers. The amount of such ingredients should be kept to a minimum. You should not purchase products containing E-450 pyrophosphates, E-420 sorbitols, E-171 dyes and E-160 carotenes. Such components provoke allergic reactions.

In addition, they must:

• have a neat appearance;
• be evenly colored, without smudges or stains;
• be elastic and not fall apart when touched.

Features of choice

In Japan, surimi sticks or balls are a natural product containing 4 ingredients:

• potato;
• soy sauce;
• starch;
• egg white.

Surimi is made from ocean fish fillet with white meat. Mix with the ingredients from the recipe, roll into balls, and drop them into boiling water. After steaming, all fat is removed from the meat and only protein remains.

INTERESTING FACT: It can take 2 crabs to prepare one package of sticks, which weigh 1 kg each. But then the price of such a delicacy will become unaffordable, about 3,000 rubles.

Roskachestvo, represented by its experts, found out that a popular product from individual manufacturers may contain:

• Sugar, sunflower oil, egg powder, salt.
• Soy protein instead of fish, offal.
• Fragrances, E621, synthetic dye.

Information about BJU on the packaging of quality sticks looks like this: protein 8–10%, carbohydrates 14%. Product has:

• White color and uniform structure.
• Soft consistency.
• There is a pink stripe on one side.

The rich bright red color indicates the use of synthetic dyes when dyeing. Of the natural pigments, paprika or carmine (food additive E120) is used for this purpose. Another extreme: when there is little fish in the composition, but the lion's share of starch and soy is present, then the sticks break and crumble.

TIP: The product is not purchased by weight, but only in original packaging with all useful information about the manufacturer.

After the research, Roskachestvo presented a rating of the best crab sticks, which are considered high quality:

These products do not contain preservatives, synthetic colors or foreign DNA. They are non-GMO and meet their nutritional claims.

pixabay.com