Abstract: The changes of nutrients of the muscle and hepatopancreas of Portunus trituberculatus during chilled storage were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics. The results showed that a total of 30 nutrients were detected in swimming crab muscle and 27 nutrients in hepatopancreas. The levels of muscle nutrients changed mainly during the first two days of chilled storage; glutamate, glutamine, arginine, taurine, and ATP significantly increased while lactic acid, trimethylamine-N-oxide, inosine, inosine monophosphate, and adenosine monophosphate significantly decreased. The levels of hepatopancreas nutrients mainly changed during the first day of storage; the levels of the hepatopancreas amino acids, betaine, taurine, glucose, trimethylamine-N-oxide, choline-O-sulfate, and 2-pyridinemethanol significantly decrease while lactic acid significantly increased. As a result of these changes the taste and nutritional value of swimming crabs changed significantly.

Key words: Portunus trituberculatus, chilled storage, nutrients, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), metabolomics