Technology Overview

Chilli crab, pepper crab, butter crab are popular and iconic Singapore dishes made from mud crab. The lack of supply of good meaty mud crabs is affecting the seafood restaurant and seafood wholesale business in Singapore which led to some restaurants using lean crabs unintentionally. This problem is much more prominent in mud crab compared to other crustacean species such as shrimps and lobsters.

Current methods adopted by the industry to grade mud crabs (meaty versus lean) are empirical and based on tacit knowledge coupled with subjective judgement. We have developed a novel “first-of-its-kind” spectroscopy approach to determine the meat grade of mud crabs. This grading strategy is non-invasive, simple, accurate, and portable. We are looking for interested parties to license this technology.

Technology Features, Specifications and Advantages

This grading strategy is an example of a “data-based” spectroscopy approach as opposed to empirical approaches used by chefs and seafood buyers in this region to determine crab meat quality. With this technology, crabs are sorted into different grades and sold at different price points. This tool ensures only the ‘meaty’ crabs will be sold, while lean crabs can be kept for a longer period to “fatten” up. The approach has an accuracy of >88% for Scylla seratta, equivalent or surpassing the accuracy and skill of a trained crab grader. A proprietary software and grading strategy have been developed for this tech offer.

Potential Applications

Local and regional seafood importers and exporters, wholesalers, seafood restaurants, and crab farmers will benefit from this methodology. to determine. The ability to rightly determine mud crab meat quality will improve industry practices in mangrove crab aquaculture and farming. Potentially, this method may be successfully adapted for other crustacean species such as lobsters.