Wr. Mcclain, EVALUATION OF GRADING, DEPURATION, AND STORAGE TIME ON CRAWFISH MORTALITY DURING COLD-STORAGE, Journal of shellfish research, 13(1), 1994, pp. 217-220
Red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii Girard) were subjected to thre
e postharvest treatments (grading, grading and purging, or no addition
al treatment) and three cold storage (4 +/- 0.2-degrees-C) periods (2,
4, or 6 days) in a factorial arrangement to determine the effects of
these factors on crawfish mortality during cold storage. Significant d
ifferences were observed for both main effects. Mean mortalities durin
g cold storage were 10.5, 10.3, and 19.5% for the control, graded, and
graded/purged groups, respectively. Mean percentage loss of 7.8, 10.8
, and 21.7% were observed for the 2-, 4-, and 6-day periods of cold st
orage, respectively. Crawfish that were graded and then purged for 24
hr and crawfish held for 6 days in a cooler had significantly higher m
ean mortalities during cold storage. An additional mean mortality of 1
1.6% was observed during the 24-hr purge period. Overall, mortality lo
sses were generally highest early in the harvest season and declined o
ver time. Results from this research demonstrate that substantial loss
can occur both during and after the purging process and present evide
nce to rebut the idea that purging may be beneficial in increasing the
shelf life of crawfish during cold storage.