As part of the rolling study of Roskachestvo, crab sticks of the 30 most popular brands on the Russian market were studied according to 36 quality and safety indicators. The products were produced in Russia (Kaliningrad Region, Primorsky Territory, Moscow and St. Petersburg) and Belarus (Brest). The cost of one package of crab sticks ranged from 24.7 to 241 rubles at the time of purchase (the study presented products in packages from 100 g to 1 kg).
RUSSIAN QUALITY SYSTEM STANDARD
The standard of the Russian Quality System established increased requirements for the nutritional value of crab sticks (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 localization of production to be awarded the Russian Quality Mark is at least 30% of the cost of goods.
STO “Russian quality system. Imitated fish food products. Products structured from minced fish. Special quality requirements"
Appearance of the product: sticks of the same length, whole, with a clean surface, painted on one side from pink to red, in a sheath made of polymeric materials. There may be a deviation in the length of the sticks in the package by no more than 0.5 cm.
- Mass fraction of protein: not less than 8.0%.
- Mass fraction of carbohydrates (starch): no more than 14%.
- Mass fraction of fat: no more than 3%.
- Mass fraction of table salt: no more than 2.5%.
- The presence of foreign matter: not allowed.
- Localization level: 30%.
ATTENTION! CLOSTRIDIA DISCOVERED
Safety is the first point. According to the results of the study, there is much more good news than bad. So, none of the samples found:
- heavy metals;
- radionuclides;
- pesticides;
- excess of the total number of microorganisms;
- bacteria of the group of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria, Salmonella, Enterococci;
- toxic organic compounds - polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs);
- GMOs (soy and corn);
- the phosphorus content in crab sticks meets the established standards. This means that they do not contain hazardous amounts of phosphates.
However, clostridia were found in crab sticks of four brands. These are "Red Price", "First of all", Aro and Horeca Select. It was “thanks” to this that four violators were revealed in the study of crab sticks. Curiously, the listed products are their own brands Dixy (First Business), Pyaterochka (Red Price) and Metro (Aro, Horeca Select).
THERE ARE NO CRAB IN THE CRAB STICKS...
Yes Yes. If someone doubted - do not doubt. Crab sticks are not a crab meat appetizer at all. This product belongs to simulated fish food products. For the production of crab sticks minced fish is used - surimi. It is made from hake, pollock, blue whiting and other white fish.
– Crabs have always been expensive, and analog products didn't aim to replace crabs., - says the adviser to the director of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Lyubov Abramova. - Rather, these products provided the population with a complete protein.
Surimi manufacturing technology is very laborious:
- Minced fish is washed several times.
- Carry out refining (free from inclusions of small bones, black film).
- Centrifuge (thereby "squeezing out" excess moisture).
- Sorbates, phosphates and salt are added to minced meat to increase shelf life.
- The protein consistency remains odorless and bright fishy taste. For the appearance of taste and smell, flavor enhancers and flavorings are added to minced meat. According to Lyubov Abramova, artificial flavors may be a mixture of synthetic compounds, or may 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 there is no crab meat in all crab sticks is also a myth.
Lyubov Abramova explained:
Recently, crab sticks containing natural crab meat have been made to attract the attention of the consumer.
This allows you to give products more interesting taste and aroma. But making sticks entirely from crab meat by giving a secondary structure is not entirely advisable, since natural meat in any form will still 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.
Reference:
Why were crab sticks specifically tested for the presence of crustacean protein, and not for the presence of crab DNA? The presence of crab DNA can indicate the content of any parts of the crab in the composition of the product: shell (chitin), extracts. In turn, the protein of crustaceans will indicate that it was used for the production of crab sticks. crab meat. It remains only to calculate how much it is.
According to the results of the study, crab meat was found in crab sticks of five brands (more than 20 mg/kg). By the way, they are all produced by Vichyunai-Rus LLC. These are Lenta, Columbus, Horeca Select, Vici Priority and Vici Natural Crab Meat. And if in two of them the amount of protein is not very high (“Tape” - 80.75 ± 4.3 mg / kg, Horeca Select - 21.81 ± 4.3 mg / kg), then in crab sticks Columbus, Vici " Priority” and Vici “With natural crab meat”, the amount of crab meat exceeds 160 mg/kg. Moreover, in the labeling of the Vici product “With natural crab meat”, crab meat is listed in the composition in second place (after surimi).
The amount of crustacean protein less than 20 mg/kg indicates its trace amounts in crab sticks. Most likely, such an introduction was inappropriate. By the way, you can read about where “foreign” DNA comes from, for example, in processed meat products.
How legal is it to call a product crab sticks when most of the time it doesn't contain crab meat?
Responsible Love Abramova:
The 1994 industry standard for the manufacture of crab sticks defines: "Crab sticks are a ready-to-eat product that imitates crab meat."
Today's regulatory documents provide for a mandatory condition for labeling imitated fish food products. So, in the name (or through a dash from the name) in the same font (including size) information about the imitation should be indicated. However, if a manufacturer produces a surimi-based product called "crab meat" by simply cutting the dyed surimi into pieces, in my opinion, he is misleading the consumer.
CRAB STICKS: STARCH OR FISH?
One of the most important indicators of the quality of crab sticks is the amount of protein in them. Protein can tell you how much minced fish is in the product.
As a rule, the less protein in crab sticks, the more starch and, accordingly, the less fish.
– Surimi is a complete fish protein, says Lyubov Abramova. – As a result of minced meat washing, extractive substances, water-soluble proteins, amines, which have an unpleasant odor, are removed from it, and some of them cause an allergic reaction. Pollack-based surimi is of higher quality and more valuable for making crab sticks. The product based on pollock mince contains about 16% protein.
It is by the amount of protein that crab sticks are divided into products economy and premium class.
- In crab sticks economy class less protein and more carbohydrates (due to starch).
- For making sticks premium class using natural crab extract. It is prepared by concentrating the decoction obtained by boiling crabs. This product is as close to the original as possible with a high protein content.
comments Lyubov Abramova
In the manufacture of products for different price segments of the market, the manufacturer also uses different approaches. For example, it reduces the cost of raw materials, replaces part of the minced meat with a variety of starches, uses soy proteins, etc.
According to the labeling requirements, he must necessarily indicate all these components in the composition of the product. When replacing minced fish with corn, tapioca or other starch, the protein content in the finished product decreases. So, crab sticks appear on the shelves, containing from 5 to 14% of protein and, accordingly, from 14 to 4% of carbohydrates. Initially, when developing a new type of product, the issue of bringing it closer to natural products was decided not only in appearance, but also in nutritional value. Crab meat contains an average of 17% protein, canned "Crab Meat" - about 19%. Thus, crab sticks with a 5% protein content, which have appeared in recent years, no longer meet the previously set goal in terms of nutritional value, but, perhaps, are more affordable from an economic point of view.
However, neither the amount of protein nor the amount of starch in crab sticks is regulated by Russian law. That is why Roskachestvo has set standards for these indicators. According to them, products with a mass fraction of protein of at least 8% and a mass fraction of starch of no more than 14% can be considered high-quality.
According to the results of tests in crab sticks of 18 brands, the mass fraction of protein was less than 8%. This suggests that there is not enough minced fish in the products. This is not a violation, however, these products are deprived of the opportunity to qualify for the Russian Quality Mark.
But the three richest in protein were:
- Fish House - 16.3% protein.
- Tokimo. Snow crab "- 13.24% protein.
- "New Ocean" - 10.32 ± 0.14% protein. (However, the bronze medalist does have soy in its formula. More on that later.)
In turn, the amount of starch is more than 14% in the products of 15 brands. These goods are also deprived of the opportunity to apply for the Russian Quality Mark. Details are in the product cards.
AND AGAIN SOY
Minced fish is a kind of protein mass. However, some manufacturers may replace fish protein with vegetable protein. Particularly soy.
I was somehow puzzled, but what do we make our salads from, especially it was
relevant in connection with the New Year holidays.
That's just thinking about crab sticks - fast, tasty and inexpensive."The question immediately arises: is it deserved, and is it worth recommending crab sticks for baby and diet food?"
"I remember how in the mid-80s we first tried crab sticks. Oh, then it was a delicacy! And the price is quite high, especially if you understand that in the joke "not a single crab was harmed in the preparation of crab sticks" - only part of the joke !
In 2013, the crab stick will turn 40 years old - the Japanese company released the first product called Kanikama back in 1973. It is noteworthy that there was no crab meat in sticks from birth - only fish fillet, starch, paprika and egg powder.
And when today I see an abundance of all kinds of “sticks” in supermarkets, and the Internet is replete with recipes for dishes from them, I understand that this affordable product is in demand. The main buyers of the so-called crab sticks are, to put it mildly, not rich people. Considering that even packed they are sold for 40-60 UAH. ($5-8) per kilo, and by weight - 25-30 ($3-4) UAH each, crab sticks have become almost a popular favorite product, and a salad based on them is already catching up with Olivier in popularity.
The question immediately arises: is it deserved, and is it worth recommending crab sticks for baby and diet food?
Let's first find out what crab sticks are actually made of. We take for example the cheapest crab sticks "Bremor" (price per 100g - 4 
UAH 69 kopecks - a little more than $ 0.5). We read the composition: minced fish surimi, thickeners starches: potato, wheat, E1442, egg white. Sugar, natural crab flavors (flavor enhancer sodium ribonucleide, thickener E415, preservative E202, emulsifier E322), salt, vegetable oil, complex food additive (thickeners E407, E415, E417), flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate, dyes (carmine, paprika extract , xanthan gum thickener), titanium dioxide, water.
The basis of this product - surimi - is minced meat from fish fillets, subjected to repeated intensive washing and refining in order to remove bones, black films, pigment, fatty and other substances. As a result, minced meat acquires a light color, high jelly-forming ability and elasticity, and does not have a pronounced fishy smell and taste. Food additives are added to minced meat, which prevent protein denaturation, improve water-holding capacity and inhibit the activity of enzymes and microorganisms. The mass fraction of protein in fish used in the production of surimi: pollock - 15.9%, hake - 16.6%, blue whiting - 16.1%, saffron cod - 15.1-17%, cod - 17.5%. But what kind of fillet is used to prepare surimi, many manufacturers prefer to remain silent! To reduce the cost of products, not fillets from freshly caught fish (as ideally!), But also from frozen fish, and even from its waste, can be used. For the production of high-quality surimi, fish should not be used later than 6-10 hours after the catch. Therefore, factories where crab sticks are made are usually built on the shores of the oceans and seas, or directly on fishing trawlers. Fish for surimi should be dense, lean and with white meat. For this product, far from its best species are used: usually pollock, haddock, hake, cod, blue whiting, horse mackerel. Since surimi does not have a special taste or smell, a number of ingredients are added to it - salt, vegetable and egg proteins, starch, sugar, vegetable oil, stabilizers, as well as flavor enhancers and flavors. As a result, at best, about 45% of minced fish remains in crab sticks. Surprisingly, the presence of only 25% surimi in the product is considered the norm. According to the requirements of regulatory documents, the mass fraction of protein in crab sticks should be at least 5 percent, and given that the proportion of protein in fish from which surimi is made is from 15 to 17.5 percent, we conclude: sticks made according to standards, consist of fish about a third!
Tinting fish products with synthetic dyes is not allowed, and this requirement is met: the composition contains paprika extract and carmine, which are natural dyes. It is not entirely clear for what purpose the white dye titanium dioxide was introduced into the composition. Obviously, the consumer would rather prefer a non-white product than a product with this dye. E202 - potassium sorbate, one of the most popular preservatives. It is considered safe for the human body. E322 - lecithin. E407 - carrageenan, made from seaweed. E415 - xanthan gum, a natural polysaccharide. E417 - tara gum, crushed seeds of the tara tree. Monosodium glutamate (E621) is the most widely used flavor enhancer in the world. The Japanese called it "umami" - the fifth taste (after sweet, salty, sour and bitter). We have already talked about the "benefit" of monosodium glutamate!
Another representative of inexpensive crab sticks is VICI. We read the composition: minced fish surimi, water, starch, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, egg white, food additives: flavor identical to natural crab, dyes: carmines, paprika oil resins. Made from frozen fish products. Although this sample is also relatively inexpensive, it contains neither preservatives nor monosodium glutamate flavor enhancer.
Now crab sticks "Snow crab" Bremor "- the most expensive sample, almost 1.5 times more expensive than the others. 
Ingredients: fish mince (surimi), egg white, starch thickeners: wheat, potato, crab flavors identical to natural (taste enhancer sodium ribonucleotide, xanthan gum thickener, preservative E202, emulsifier E322, sugar, salt, vegetable oil, taste enhancer monosodium glutamate, colors (natural food: carmine, paprika extract, sugar color, xanthan gum thickener), preservative potassium sorbate, antioxidants (ascorbyl palmitate, alpha-tocopherol), water Sodium ribonucleotide is a rather expensive food additive, the source of which is dried algae and dried fish Not recommended for asthmatics Ascorbyl palmitate (E304) is most often used to prevent rancidity Alpha-tocopherol (E307) is considered harmless Other additives have been discussed above.
So, if you imagine what “crab sticks” are made of, it is unlikely that your tongue will turn to attribute the beneficial properties of fish to them - they have nothing to do with it! And even more so, the tongue will not turn to recommend them as a product for baby food! Some mothers, seeing how children eat crab sticks with pleasure, believe that, they say, it’s better to let them eat if they don’t eat fish at all! No no and one more time no! The children's body is more susceptible to "chemistry", so it quickly gets used to products that contain chemical additives. So it's better for adults to eat crab sticks themselves, and kids should cook dishes from fresh fish!
When buying crab sticks, you should carefully read their composition, giving preference to those with less "chemistry"! Pay attention to the appearance: the right crab sticks should be neat and beautiful, look appetizing, be juicy and elastic. Each crab stick - both frozen and chilled - must be wrapped in a multilayer barrier film. The sticks should only be painted on the outside. The color varies from light pink to pinkish red.
Don't buy shriveled, cracked, dry, frozen, or sticky sticks. Give preference to crab sticks in the manufacturer's packaging. Please note that all information about the manufacturer, expiration date and storage conditions is written on the packaging. After defrosting, in no case do not freeze crab sticks again.
Ingredients of crab sticks: 
Water - 70 g
Fats - 2 g
Proteins - 17.5 g
Vitamins:
Vitamin PP (Niacin equivalent) - 2.905 mg
Minerals:
Chlorine - 165 mg
Nickel - 6 mcg
Molybdenum - 4 mcg
Fluorine - 430 mcg
Chromium - 55 mcg
Zinc - 0.7 mg
Calorie crab sticks: per 100 g - 88 kcal
Crab sticks: contraindications
Describing the composition of crab sticks, I mentioned harmful additives! Therefore, carefully read their composition! For example, food additives such as E160, E171, E420 and E450, which are used in Russian and Chinese-made crab sticks, can provoke allergies or exacerbate chronic diseases. By the way, these harmful substances are prohibited in most European countries.
More dangerous than this "chemistry" may be the microbiological contamination of this product. Since crab sticks are rarely cooked before consumption, it is better to buy more expensive vacuum-packed products from well-known manufacturers than to purchase a cheaper option - a product by weight.
And, of course, you should not use crab sticks for people with atopic dermatitis, any manifestations of allergic diseases, including bronchial asthma, patients with gout, liver and kidney diseases, and allergies to fish.
Nutritionist Denisenko Lyudmila Eduardovna, site http://www.abcslim.ru/articles/946/krabovye-palochki/. (This article is posted on this site with the kind permission of Lyudmila Eduardovna Denisenko.)
Crab sticks are a hearty, tasty and affordable "imitation crab meat" for most of the population. A culinary invention has long won its rightful place on the everyday or festive table, bright appetizers and salads with seafood are highly valued. Crab sticks "Snow Crab" enjoy considerable popularity among consumers. The article will tell you in detail about the composition, calorie content, the benefits of the product and much more.
Excursion to the past
Residents of Russia and a number of other countries (including European ones) got acquainted with the taste of crab sticks thanks to the enterprising Japanese. In the last century, the Land of the Rising Sun faced a shortage of crab meat from which many dishes were prepared, it was boiled and fried, added to soups and salads, sushi was stuffed with a favorite delicacy. It was then that the idea arose to replace the product with minced fish, pre-mixed with starch, paprika and
The fish fillet was turned into a porridge-like mass, small sticks were formed into sticks and frozen in a freezer. Over time, in order to reduce the cost and improve the visual qualities of crab sticks, they began to be processed with food coloring and the composition was partially changed. To date, the mass fraction of fish in the product does not exceed 45%.
What's inside the package
Crab sticks "Snow Crab" are a ready-to-eat product that does not require additional heat treatment. The similarity with the original taste of the meat of the inhabitants of the sea depths is achieved due to the presence of the Crab flavoring agent and natural dye (paprika) in the minced fish. Surimi has a low energy value, sometimes the product is included in the diet menu. So, in 100 g of crab sticks "Meridian" Snow Crab "contains 140 kcal, in a similar seafood brand Vici - less than 74 calories.
List of main ingredients:
- Surimi. Concentrated fish protein is prepared from white fish fillets (pollock, hake, saffron cod, blue whiting and others). As a result of multi-stage processing, a light, homogeneous mass is obtained, minced meat has a high jelly-forming ability and elasticity.
- Starch. Added as a moisture-retaining and binding agent. Due to starch, the volume and elasticity of the sticks increase.
- Egg powder. Increases the proportion of protein in seafood "Snow Crab".
- Purified drinking water.
In addition, the "Snow Crab" crab sticks contain several flavorings, salt and sweetener. To give the product a familiar color, harmless forms of dyes are used: carmine and paprika oil resins (E160c). In crab sticks "Snow Crab" Vici and "Meridian" polyphosphate plays the role of a water-retaining component.
Useful properties and harm
Unfortunately, after processing, the amount of vitamins, macronutrients and fish oil in surimi is reduced to a minimum. However, sticks are rich in easily digestible protein, the deficiency of which leads to problems with the thyroid gland, a decrease in muscle mass and a weakening of the heart muscle. In addition, minced fish contains methionine, an essential acid known for its hepatoprotective and metabolic effects.
Flavorings and dyes, which impregnate crab sticks "Snow Crab", are allowed for use in the food industry. They are considered safe, but absolutely do not increase the biological value of the protein. It is desirable to exclude an artificially created product from the children's diet. Parents should take into account the increased susceptibility of the baby's body to "chemistry", it is preferable to cook dishes from fresh fish.
Choosing a quality product
At the sight of a wide range of crab sticks, even the most determined buyer can be confused. The following recommendations will help you choose the best quality product.
Experts advise to pay attention to the presentation of crab sticks "Snow Crab" in the store. The product is characterized by an elastic, dense texture. Do not ignore information about the expiration date and requirements for storage conditions. If the sticks are crookedly packaged, differ in size, look frozen, dry or stuck together, pass by. Carefully study the composition of the "Snow Crab". Surimi should come first. This means that the product is made according to all standards, consists of about a third of fish. Please note that if the production went too far with flour or used low-value fish species, then the crab sticks will be almost gray in color.
I sometimes buy crab sticks for some kind of salad. I usually buy frozen.
But quite recently I saw chilled in the Auchan store. crab sticks VICI by share. The price tag was very attractive and here's why.
With a more detailed study of the pack in the store, I found that the expiration date is coming to an end in a couple of days. Apparently, for this reason, the store decided to arrange a sale, these fish products were sold for only 50 rubles. Since I was going to use the sticks literally on the same day, I bought them.
The real price of such sticks is three times more expensive, i.e. at least 150 rubles for a 200-250 gram pack. I would never buy them for myself at such a high price. And then everything coincided: the price, and desire, and chance.
Crab sticks Vici Snow crab
Moreover, the packaging already came with a bonus, supposedly 250 g of the product at a price of 200 g. So, the benefit turned out in everything.)
Crab sticks Vici Snow crab, packaging
Vici Crab Sticks (VICI) called "Snow Crab" packed in polyethylene film.
Readable ingredients on the back.
Crab sticks Vici Snow crab, composition
The sticks outwardly almost do not differ from cheap ones, these are the same strips with imitation of surimi fish.
Only the red dye here is not so intense, and the sticks are looser in structure and break up into fibers in the salad.
Crab sticks Vici Snow crab stick type
The taste is slightly different from the usual frozen imitations, but juicy, tasty, I liked it. In this regard, the "Snow Crab" turned out to be quite gentle.
Usually I crumble them into a salad with rice and an egg together, but sometimes I improvise, depending on the availability of certain ingredients in the refrigerator.
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