Crab sticks: composition, calorie content, harm or benefit

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.

The technology for making surimi is very labor-intensive:

1. The minced fish is washed several times.
2. Refining is carried out (freed from inclusions of small bones and black film).
3. Centrifuge (thereby “squeezing out” excess moisture).
4. Sorbates, phosphates and salt are added to minced meat to increase shelf life.
5. What remains is an odorless protein consistency and a strong fishy taste. To create taste and smell, flavor enhancers and flavoring agents are added to the minced meat. According to Lyubov Abramova
   , artificial flavors can be a mixture of synthetic compounds, or they can contain natural ingredients. Now there is a large selection of natural and natural-identical dyes that are approved for use.

Surimi differs from ordinary minced fish in its high structuring ability, and also has a balanced amino acid composition of proteins, close to the standard.
However, despite this, the opinion that all crab sticks do not contain crab meat is also a myth.

Lyubov Abramova

explained:

Recently, to attract the attention of consumers, crab sticks containing natural crab meat have been produced.

This allows you to give the products a more interesting taste and aroma. But making sticks entirely from crab meat by adding a secondary structure is not entirely advisable, since natural meat in any form will look more attractive.

In order to understand whether manufacturers used crab meat to make crab sticks, experts examined the products for the presence of crustacean protein in them.

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.

Use in cooking

Crab sticks, the calorie content of which is taken into account by people watching their weight, are an excellent component for preparing appetizing and elegantly decorated dishes. The content, chemical composition, nutritional and energy values ​​of crab sticks are characterized by the absence of a bright taste and pronounced aroma.

However, pink bars are in constant and extremely high demand among consumers.

The secret of this effect lies precisely in the neutral taste of crab sticks, excellent compatibility with almost all products that are used in world cuisine. Fish cubes are combined with mushrooms, rice, eggs, potatoes and other vegetables.

The sticks go well with canned corn, pineapples, and other fruits. The most common culinary use of the fish component is all kinds of salads. Moreover, the sticks not only complement the taste of the combined ingredients well, but also perfectly decorate any dish, be it a holiday snack or a side dish for meat and fish food.

Many types of cubes unfold well, which allows them to be stuffed with various options for created fillings. You just need to properly prepare and process the product. Several examples of recipe execution will help you to use crab products yourself and prepare appetizing and tasty food.

With garlic and cheese

Ingredients:

• hard cheese - 200 g;
• dill sprigs, onion feathers - 2 pcs.;
• crab sticks - 8 pcs.;
• mayonnaise - 2-3 tbsp. l.;
• lettuce leaves.

Cooking method:

1. Defrost the fish product in advance under natural conditions.
2. In order to unroll each bar without damage, you need to dip the product in hot water for 30 seconds. If you gently squeeze the slightly cooled stick from the sides, you can see its layered texture.
3. Finely grate the cheese, combine with chopped herbs and fresh mayonnaise, mix the mixture well.
4. Divide the cubes into plates, coat each with the resulting filling, and roll into a roll. Place the preparations in the refrigerator for an hour.

Cut the rolls into portions slightly diagonally and serve.

Crab rafaello

Grocery list:

• frozen sticks - 400 g;
• eggs - 12 pcs.;
• hard cheese - 150 g;
• boiled potatoes - 6 pcs.;
• thick mayonnaise - 4 tbsp. l.;
• garlic cloves - 3 pcs.

Cooking process:

1. Finely grate the frozen sticks.

2. Boil hard-boiled eggs, cool, remove shells, and pass through a grater.
3. Mash the tubers with a fork.
4. Combine the prepared ingredients, add chopped garlic and chopped herbs, season the food with fresh mayonnaise. Mix everything well.
5. Form small balls from the resulting mass and roll in cheese shavings.

Before serving, keep the rafaello in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Fried sticks

List of components:

• sunflower oil;
• salted cheese - 200 g;
• rice flour - 35 g;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• soy sauce - ½ tsp;
• crab sticks - 6 pcs.;
• mayonnaise - 50 g.

Creating a dish:

1. Mix fresh eggs, rice flour and sauce in a bowl.
2. Unwrap the sticks, grease with filling made from finely grated cheese and mayonnaise. Make tight rolls.
3. Dip each portion in rice batter and fry in hot deep fat.

Serve the dish with sweet ketchup. The advantages of crab sticks lie not only in the low calorie content of food, but also in the convenient ability to add products to dishes without preliminary heat treatment. Products from well-known brands, made from natural ingredients, will provide a person with healthy and wholesome nutrition.

Article design: Anna Vinnitskaya

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.

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.

Recommendations for use

To answer the question of whether crab sticks can be eaten, you need to decide which of them will not cause harm to the body. This should be a surimi-based snack. Whether it is possible to purchase a high-quality “crab product” in our country is a more difficult question. Although there are some tips for inquisitive consumers:

• buy sticks only packaged in vacuum packaging and with a list of ingredients;
• do not take loose ones - in this case it is impossible to find out the composition of the product;
• do not take those that contain soy and egg whites and an impressive proportion of starch.

Even a high-quality snack should not be eaten in large quantities, since it still contains preservatives, dyes and food additives.
Optimally no more than 100 g per day and no more than 3 times a week. People with chronic gastrointestinal diseases should exercise special caution when consuming seafood snacks.

For gastritis and pancreatitis

Chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including gastritis (inflammation of the gastric mucosa) and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreatic parenchyma), require dietary restrictions. For these pathologies it is prohibited:

• spicy, fatty, fried foods;
• many spices and sauces;
• acids, flavor enhancers and other food additives.

A crab product cannot be called a fatty or spicy product; the sticks are eaten mostly raw (although some fry them in batter, thereby increasing the harmfulness). However, food additives are still present even in high-quality sticks, so people suffering from gastritis or pancreatitis should avoid them. It is especially important not to consume a potentially dangerous product during an exacerbation of the disease.

When remission occurs, persons with gastrointestinal pathologies are allowed to consume a small amount of high-quality crab sticks, but not more than 2-3 times a year.

Dieting

Since the crab product is low in calories, only 73 kcal per 100 g, dieters believe that it promotes weight loss. Many people practice short-term mono-diets based on crab sticks and kefir. Medical experts do not recommend getting carried away with this method of losing weight, pointing out that a mono-diet deprives a person of the necessary vitamins and microelements contained in other foods.

Although mono-diets are short-term (usually no more than 4-7 days), during this period the metabolic processes in the body can be seriously upset. Then you will have to not only forget about losing weight, but also treat serious disorders in the functioning of internal organs. The diet of those losing weight should be complete and balanced.

“Crab” snack can be consumed by people who want to lose weight, but not as a mono-diet, but as part of a complete diet.

For diabetes

For a person suffering from diabetes, crab sticks are not useful. They contain starch and sugar - carbohydrates that, even in small quantities, can cause an exacerbation in a chronic patient. Doctors recommend that patients who cannot deny themselves their favorite treats should exercise caution. You can eat 1-2 sticks 1-2 times a week, carefully monitoring your condition. Careful consumption of crab product will not cause harm. The main condition is to eat only those sticks whose composition can be read on the packaging.

Pregnant and lactating

During pregnancy, a woman may spontaneously experience an allergic reaction even to foods that were previously well tolerated. The effect of minced fish snacks on the pregnant woman herself, on the intrauterine development of the fetus and on the baby feeding on mother's milk has not been studied by anyone. For this reason, doctors do not recommend pregnant women and breastfeeding women to indulge in this product.

For children

The presence of synthetic food additives and preservatives in crab sticks does not allow the product to be called useful for baby food. It is advisable to give children, especially under 3 years of age, boiled fish fillet - albeit in small quantities, but guaranteed to be natural. Children are more prone to food allergies than adults, so you should not test their immunity with products of dubious quality.

Pediatricians believe that crab sticks should be excluded from the diet of a child under 3 years of age. Older children should only be given this product occasionally.

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.

WHITE FISH – RED STICKS. WHY?

To make the crab sticks even more reminiscent of crab meat, they are covered on one side with a thin layer of colored minced meat. In the 80s, the natural dye carmine, obtained from the cochineal beetle, was used for this purpose. Today there is a wide range of natural and synthetic dyes.

The 2021 study revealed that most manufacturers color their products with carmine. Quantities are safe. Synthetic dyes such as sunset yellow (E110), azorubine (E122), ponceau 4R (E124), charming red (E129) and tartrazine (E102) were not found in crab sticks.

The products of three brands also have too low carmine content. Perhaps manufacturers use paprika extract to color these crab sticks.

According to the results of the 2021 study, six manufacturers use carmine. There are no other dyes other than carmine in crab sticks. Moreover, Vici Priority doesn’t even have carmine. Most of the dyes in the products.

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.

STANDARD OF THE RUSSIAN QUALITY SYSTEM

The standard of the Russian quality system has established increased requirements for the nutritional value of crab sticks (the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates), as well as for the amount of table salt in them. In addition, they should not contain foreign impurities. The required level of production localization for the assignment of the Russian Quality Mark is at least 30% of the cost of the product.

The requirements of the Roskachestvo standard are voluntary and are not mandatory for the manufacturer. If the product meets the advanced requirements of the Roskachestvo standard, the manufacturer receives the right to apply for product labeling with the Russian Quality Mark.

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.

KBJU for 100 g

Nutritional value and calorie content of the best crab sticks calculated per 100 grams:

Energy value of the lowest calorie sticks of the Vichi brand:

REFERENCE: The optimal ratio of BZHU nutrients by weight is 16%, 17% and 67%. Basic characteristics depend on the origin of the seafood and may not coincide with actual indicators.

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.

How to choose quality

Choosing a quality product is easy. They should be:

1. In original packaging. There should not be a lot of liquid in it, it should not be damaged or swollen.
2. From the middle or high price category.
3. Not frozen, but chilled.

Additionally, it is worth dispelling the myth that surimi sold by weight is safer than those sold in factory packages. The latter will cause less harm than the former, which are not checked and not processed at the production stage.

The product must be stored in the refrigerator; it is also worth saying that they will not lie open for a long time, so do not delay preparing a dish from them.

If, when opening the package, you find mucus, an unpleasant odor, or the sticks have become covered with water in the refrigerator, throw them away immediately and do not try to resuscitate them.