Effect of feeding and lack of food on the growth, gross biochemical and fatty acid composition of juvenile crab, Eriocheir sinensis

The effect of feeding and starvation on growth, gross biochemical composition and fatty acid composition of body, muscle and hepatopancreas were investigated in juvenile Chinese mitten-handed crab (Eriocheir sinensis). The growth, biochemical composition, and relative composition of fatty acids were influenced by starvation. During starvation, body fat, especially hepatopancreatic neutral lipid content, decreased significantly (p < 0.01). In hepatopancreas, there were marked relative decreases of 14:0, 16:0, 16:1n - 7 and 18:1n - 9 fatty acids and relative increases of 18:2n - 6, 18:3n - 3, 20:5n - 3 and 22:6n - 3 when these were compared with the controls during starvation prolonged 70 days (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, in muscle 14:0 and 16:0 saturated fatty acids decreased remarkably and 18:2n - 6 and 18:3n - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids increased significantly at the end of study (day 70) (p < 0.01). Preference of utilization of fatty acids from hepatopancreas during starvation was as follows: 14:0 > 16:0 > 16:1n - 7 > 18:1n - 9 and conservation as follows: 18:3n - 3 > 18:2n - 6 > 22:6n - 3 > 20:5n - 3 > 20:4n - 6, and 14:0 > 16:0 and 18:3n - 3 > 18:2n - 6 from muscle. The changes of fatty acids were smaller in muscle than in hepatopancreas. The experimental results also indicated the tolerance of juvenile Chinese mitten-handed crab to starvation was over 70 days.