Abstract: This study was undertaken in order to explore the potential of mineral elements and stable isotopes for the geographical origin traceability of Eriocheir sinensis. Microwave digestion-atomic absorption spectrometry and stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry were used to determine the contents of eight mineral elements (K, Ca, Na, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu and Fe) and the abundances of C and N stable isotopes in the muscle tissue of E. sinensis from Chongming of Shanghai, and Yangcheng Lake and Xinghua of Jiangsu. By using multivariate statistical analysis, we established a discriminant model for distinguishing the three geographical origins from each other. The correct discrimination rates for samples from Chongming, Yangcheng Lake and Xinghua were 100%, 95% and 100%, respectively. The initial overall discriminant accuracy was 98.3%, and the cross-validation accuracy was 98.3%. Four principal components were selected by principal component analysis (PCA), cumulatively contributing to 74.8% of the total variance. In the three-dimensional PCA scatter plot of PC1 versus PC2 versus PC4, the three samples were clearly separated. It is proved that mineral elements combined with stable isotopes can distinguish Chinese mitten crabs from different regions of the Yangtze River.

Key words: Chinese mitten crab; geographical origin traceability; mineral elements; stable isotopes