Crab sticks are a well-known product that is an imitation of crab meat. There are many different recipes for cooking. And although they do not contain crab meat, the sticks have gained their popularity due to their unusual taste and affordable price.

What are crab sticks made from?

The main content of crab sticks is surimi. So the Japanese called minced meat obtained from ocean fish. The composition includes the following varieties of fish: mackerel, hake, blue whiting, pollock, etc.

The process of making surimi consists in repeated washing of the fish fillet, grinding and mixing until a homogeneous consistency. The mass is then subjected to centrifugation to remove excess liquid. The result is a soft mass with a pleasant fishy smell and taste. Due to its properties, surimi is used to imitate many seafood, including crab sticks.

Surimi is considered a healthy product that includes a rich mineral composition and vitamins. After processing, the amount of these substances is reduced. Some manufacturers add offal to surimi, which leads to a decrease in the quality of minced meat and a change in its smell, taste and color.

To save raw materials, soy protein is placed in crab sticks. It is known that soy is a product of genetic modification and opponents of this method should read the composition of crab sticks on the package. In such cases, they need to look for the “non-GMO” label.

Crab sticks contain: egg powder, vegetable oil, starch, salt and sugar. To give a special taste, many chemicals are added to them.

Composition of crab sticks

Depending on the manufacturer, different components are included in the composition of crab sticks. Usually they contain surimi meat, soy protein, sunflower oil, starch and sugar. To enhance the taste, various flavors, artificial colors and other food additives are added to them.

The chemical composition of crab sticks is rich, they contain:

  • Micro-macroelements (chromium, chlorine, iron, iodine, zinc, nickel, molybdenum).
  • Nicotinic acid and vitamin PP.

Crab sticks are a low-calorie product, so they can be consumed by people who monitor their weight. Their nutritional value is only 100 kcal per 100 g.

The content of crab sticks is not completely useful, because it contains not only natural ingredients.

Positive properties of crab sticks

Crab sticks will not replace completely fresh fish. However, they can be a pleasant addition to the diet and add variety to it. Experts recommend consuming no more than 100 g of crab sticks per day.

100 g of the product contains calcium (13 mg) and magnesium (43 mg). These minerals have a beneficial effect on the blood vessels, heart and nervous system.

It is useful to use crab sticks for diseases of the musculoskeletal system.


It is impossible to talk about any special beneficial properties of crab sticks. Even if the product used is of the highest quality, the only ingredient that has a positive effect is fish protein. It contains a small amount of minerals and vitamins. The proportion of protein in the product is negligible.

Crab sticks in the diet

Crab sticks are useful for losing weight people. They can be used as a dietary product that is quickly absorbed and saturated by the body.

The "crab" diet involves the use of 200 g of sticks per day, a liter of milk and at least 2 liters of water. This diet must be observed for 4 days. There are no sticks containing only surimi and salt, so a longer stay on such a menu is prohibited.

Before starting a diet, you need to consult a doctor, in order to avoid negative consequences.

Crab sticks in cooking

Crab sticks can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes. These include salads and snacks, in rare cases they are used in recipes for hot dishes. The combination of crab sticks with canned corn is especially attractive, which has long become a classic among housewives. Therefore, they can be found on any holiday table.

How to choose high quality crab sticks

The choice of a high-quality product must be approached with all responsibility. Initially, you should pay attention to the color of crab sticks.

A good product is usually white in color with a uniform texture, which, after defrosting, retains a soft texture. Sticks should not be saturated with water.

Before choosing crab sticks, you need to carefully read their composition. The first place in it should be occupied by surimi. In a useful product, its percentage is at least 40%. Although manufacturers rarely indicate the proportions of the components on the packaging. In the case when the first ingredient of crab sticks is soy protein or starch, then it is best to refuse to purchase them. Such a product will not bring any benefit to the body. Ideally, in the sticks, the protein should be completely absent, and the starch should be only 8-10%.

Usually they are painted pink on one side and white on the other. If they are a rich bright red hue, then this may indicate the use of non-natural dyes. Usually carmine and paprika are used for this.

Quality sticks are not cheap, and they should be sold in their original packaging. And the composition should contain more natural ingredients.

Food additives present in the product (E-450, E-420, E-171 and E-160) can cause allergic reactions. People suffering from this disease should use crab sticks with caution. With this composition, the product completely lacks useful substances, and its nutritional value will be zero.

Due to the fact that crab sticks do not undergo heat treatment, their infection with pathogenic microorganisms is possible. The product is best bought in vacuum packaging, which protects against dirt and infectious agents.

Product limitations include:

  • individual intolerance;
  • allergic reactions;
  • pregnancy and lactation;
  • child under 3 years of age.
  • gastritis;
  • diabetes

Crab sticks do not belong to useful or harmful products. A large amount of minced fish is present in high quality products. Sticks can be considered as a dish used in dietary nutrition. A large number of harmful additives in them with regular consumption can harm the body. Therefore, sticks must be consumed in minimal quantities, and purchased from trusted manufacturers.

Video: everything you didn't know about crab sticks!

Crab sticks are a product that appeared on the shelves of our stores in the early 90s. Since then, a lot of recipes have been invented using them. The famous crab salad is certainly present on the festive table, and among the admirers of 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, answers the questions: is it possible for children to use them, how to choose and store them.

What are crab sticks made of?

The main component of seafood is surimi, as in Japan they called healthy minced meat from ocean fish. Among the components of surimi are mackerel, hake, blue whiting and other fish with white meat. The procedure for its preparation consists in washing the pieces of fish fillet, grinding it and mixing it into a homogeneous mass. After that, the mixture is 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 imitating seafood, including crab sticks.

Such minced meat is recognized as a useful ingredient that contains many minerals and vitamins and is not harmful to health. But after its processing, their number and, as a result, the benefits are significantly reduced. In addition, there are manufacturers who add offal to surimi, which lowers the quality of 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 the composition of seafood. As you know, soy is the result of genetic modification, its harm and benefits are ambiguous. Therefore, products with the mark “non-GMO” are preferable. 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 that do not benefit, but harm a person.

Chemical composition and caloric content of crab sticks

The calorie content of seafood is only 88 kcal per 100 grams. Therefore, they can be used with benefit by people who monitor their weight.

In addition, the semi-finished product contains useful vitamins PP, H, E.

Macronutrients:

  • sulfur;
  • chlorine.

Trace elements:

  • molybdenum;
  • nickel;
  • fluorine;
  • chromium;
  • zinc.

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 they will be able to reveal their beneficial properties and transfer valuable components to the body: proteins, minerals and vitamins - and benefit.

Important! To benefit, 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 a child in a minimum quantity and of the highest quality. Only in this case, there will be no harm from their use. In addition, they may contain trace elements that have beneficial properties for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Are crab sticks good for 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 nutrients, the content of dyes and preservatives and the rather large number of artificial additives, we can conclude that the product will do more harm than good.

Thus, despite the low calorie content, you should not abuse them excessively, yet their beneficial properties are small. You can occasionally include them in your diet as an additive to some dishes.

Can crab sticks be pregnant and lactating

The chemical components of this semi-finished product will be in breast milk, which may adversely affect the health of the newborn. Allergic reactions, adverse effects on the part of the digestive organs are possible, or the development of the disease will be provoked altogether.

Therefore, women during breastfeeding are not recommended to eat them in the same amount in which they were consumed before pregnancy. It is allowed only occasionally to add them, for example, to salads, provided there is no allergy.

Important! You can use crab sticks during breastfeeding with the permission of a doctor.

It is important not to forget that at the first use of seafood during lactation, only the minimum amount of this product is allowed. So the mother will be able to assess the reaction of the child's body to a new food. If the child does not have allergic reactions, then the amount of the product can be increased. However, they cannot be abused: the daily presence of a semi-finished product in the diet of a nursing woman is not allowed. Thus, the benefits of crab sticks for women during lactation are absent.

Crab sticks for children

Crab sticks are an unnatural product that contains a large number of various additives. The semi-finished product contains a minimum amount of useful properties, but it can be harmful 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 old. At such a tender age, a child's digestive system is very sensitive to supplements.

Moderate use of such products will minimize the risk of harm to health. Experts recommend eating no more than 2 pieces at a time. It is allowed both to use in its pure form, and as an ingredient in various salads.

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, 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 walls of the stomach, which can result in an exacerbation and deterioration 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.

crab sticks for diabetes

Almost all useful elements, vitamins and minerals are destroyed during the manufacture of the semi-finished product, only vegetable protein remains in the composition, therefore there is no question of benefit for diabetics. This is a non-calorie product, therefore it can be consumed, but only occasionally.
It is important to understand that products are harmful to diabetic patients and are also 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 digestive tract.

Important! In diseases of the pancreas, crab sticks are contraindicated and will not bring benefits.

The use of crab sticks in cooking

Imitation crab meat is used in the preparation of many different dishes, they have the ability to fit quite harmoniously into culinary masterpieces. Among them are salads, snacks, it happens that they are used even in hot dishes. Most of all, sticks are used in combination with canned corn, this is a classic of the festive table.

Harm of crab sticks and contraindications

The composition of the semi-finished product contains additives such as E-450, E-420 and E-160, which tend to provoke allergic reactions. People who are prone to allergies should be careful when using 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 similar diseases not to include these products in their diet.

How to choose and store crab sticks

In order to get useful 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 useful product must contain at least 40% minced fish. Surimi should be in the first place in the composition.
  • 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 and stains;
  • be elastic and not disintegrate when touched.

Conclusion

The conclusion about the benefits and harms of crab sticks should be obvious. Such a product has almost no useful properties, but, on the contrary, can be harmful to health, and it is better to minimize its use. This is especially true for people with gastrointestinal problems and children. The health benefits and harms of crab sticks should be taken into account when compiling a family menu. No matter how attractive this delicacy is, it is better to replace it with natural fish dishes.

Crab sticks in many countries appeared on sale in the early 90s. The time was quite difficult, so the hostesses immediately fell in love with the tasty and inexpensive product. Crab sticks helped to diversify the menu of festive tables, as they began to be added to various salads and snacks.

We owe the appearance of crab sticks to the Japanese, who tried to establish the production of crab meat. However, this turned out to be laborious and economically disadvantageous. It was much easier to make a variety of products from surimi - minced ocean white fish. By adding some flavors and food additives to minced meat, it was possible to achieve a taste similar to the taste of crab meat.

Composition of crab sticks

The main ingredients of crab sticks are: surimi minced fish, starch, egg white, water, vegetable oil, and salt. Various food additives are added to improve the taste. However, to further reduce the cost of the product, some manufacturers make crab sticks from soy protein.

When buying crab sticks, you must carefully study the composition of the product. Minced surimi should come first. In this case, you can be sure that the product contains fish.

The chemical composition of crab sticks makes the health benefits of this product questionable. The most commonly used nutritional supplements are:

  1. E160 - food coloring. There are two types: synthetic and natural. Natural dye does not pose any threat to the body.
  2. E171 - dye-bleach. Vapors of this substance are toxic, but as an additive to products, it is not dangerous for the body. Although research on this supplement is still ongoing.
  3. E420 - used as a sweetener and water-retaining agent. The supplement is safe in small doses, but when consumed in large quantities, it causes stomach upset.
  4. E450 - designed to improve the structure and color of the product, increases the shelf life. When consumed in large quantities, it causes indigestion and impairs the absorption of calcium.

Although these additives are approved for use in the food industry, their use does not bring benefits to the body. And the use of a large number of crab sticks with such a composition can cause the development of diseases.

Nutritional value of crab sticks

Since the main component of crab sticks is fish meat, the product is saturated with easily digestible protein. To understand how much protein is in crab sticks, the composition of the product helps. Most often, proteins make up 17.5% of the weight of the product, fats - 2%, carbohydrates in crab sticks are absent. 70% of the product is water.

Crab sticks contain a small amount of minerals and vitamins: vitamin PP, zinc, chlorine, sulfur, chromium, fluorine, nickel, molybdenum. Such a small the amount of useful substances is due to the fact that they are washed out at the stage of primary processing of raw materials. In the future, the remaining beneficial substances are destroyed during heat treatment, which is designed to rid the product of pathogenic microorganisms.

However, such a composition of proteins, fats, carbohydrates in crab sticks is typical only for a product made from. Therefore, you can find out exactly how many carbohydrates in crab sticks and other components by reading the composition on the package. For this reason, you should not buy crab sticks by weight. A higher-quality product is sold in packages that indicate not only the composition, but also the date of manufacture and expiration date. It is worth paying attention that the product must be hermetically packed in a multilayer film.

Crab sticks appeared in our stores in the mid-90s and immediately fell in love with many for their unusual pleasant taste. At the same time, the price of the product is relatively low, and there are more than a dozen dishes that can be prepared using crab sticks. However, when studying the composition of this product, it turns out that there is no crab meat in it, and the taste of the product, vaguely reminiscent of the taste of a delicacy, was obtained due to the addition of flavors. Therefore, many have doubts about the benefits of crab sticks and the so-called crab meat.

So what are crab sticks made of? Their main component is surimi, as the Japanese call minced meat from oceanic white fish. This product has been known in Japan for almost 10 centuries. The composition of surimi may include species such as pollock, mackerel, herring, Far Eastern sardine (ivasi), hake, blue whiting, etc. In the manufacture of surimi, the fish fillet is not subjected to heat treatment, but is washed many times with cold water, thoroughly crushed and mixed until a homogeneous consistency and then subjected to centrifugation to remove moisture. The resulting mass has a white color, a pleasant fishy smell and a slight taste, and its texture is soft and elastic. Due to this consistency and unexpressed taste, surimi is used to imitate various seafood, the most famous and common of which are crab sticks.

Crab sticks, in addition to minced fish, contain many different food additives.

By itself, surimi is a healthy product, it contains few carbohydrates and fats, but quite a lot of easily digestible protein. In addition, it contains many useful trace elements (iron, phosphorus, sodium, etc.), vitamins (A, D, E, group B). Since after the processing of these substances, surimi remains less than in a fish fillet, many do not classify it as a full-fledged seafood. Nevertheless, eating it is very beneficial for health, primarily for the musculoskeletal system. The calorie content of crab sticks is low, about 80 kcal per 100 g, so they can be included in the diet of people on weight loss diets.

If crab sticks were made exclusively from surimi, they could be considered a healthy product, but other substances are also used in their production, many of which are not only not useful, but even harmful to health. Unscrupulous manufacturers, in order to reduce the cost of the product, add offal to it during the manufacture of surimi, as a result of which the quality of minced meat decreases, it acquires a gray or yellowish tint, a more pronounced smell and may have an unpleasant aftertaste.

In addition, in order to save money, part of the fish raw material is replaced by soy protein. Many people know that it is one of the products that undergoes genetic modification, so opponents of this method should pay attention to the composition of crab sticks. If soy products are present in the composition of crab sticks, then you need to choose those of them on the packaging of which there is a “non-GMO” label.

Also, the composition of crab sticks can include many other ingredients: water, egg powder, potato starch, salt, sugar. But in addition to surimi and these natural ingredients, various stabilizers, thickeners, dyes, flavors, etc. are added to crab sticks to improve the presentation and taste. It is the presence of these chemicals in the composition of the product that determines its harm to health.

Some flavor enhancers and flavors used in the manufacture of crab sticks are prohibited in Europe, the USA and many other countries. Some ingredients with code E can cause allergic reactions, and some of them are even attributed to oncogenic properties.

It is difficult to make an unambiguous conclusion about the benefits and harms of crab sticks, since they contain both useful and harmful components. With moderate use, a quality product is unlikely to harm health, and the pleasure derived from delicious dishes made from crab sticks will definitely benefit. However, do not forget about the possibility of an allergic reaction when eating seafood and egg white. Due to the artificial colors and other chemicals contained in crab sticks, it is not recommended to give them to children.

How to choose good crab sticks?

Good crab sticks are white (poor-quality product has a grayish tint), homogeneous structure, and after defrosting they retain a soft texture. Sticks should not be watery and rubbery.

When choosing, you need to carefully study the composition of the product indicated on the package. Surimi should be in the first place in the list of ingredients, it should contain at least 40% in a quality product, although manufacturers usually do not indicate the percentage of components on the packaging. If soy protein or starch is listed first, and surimi is the second or even third component, then it is better to refuse to buy such crab sticks. Ideally, if there is no soy protein in them at all, and potato starch will be no more than 8-10%.

Usually crab sticks are painted on one side in a pale pink color, and sometimes you can see sticks that have one side of a bright red color. The brighter this color, the more reason to doubt the naturalness of the dyes. Natural substances such as carmine and paprika are commonly used to color a quality product.

High-quality crab sticks and crab meat cannot be very cheap, they must be packaged in their original packaging, and they may contain a minimum amount of artificial ingredients.

Telecast "Roskontrol" on the topic " What did you not know about crab sticks? What are crab sticks made of?


Crab sticks are a ready-to-eat product with a specific fishy taste and aroma. The name itself is a successful marketing ploy, because the true composition is different from the expected. The product is made from minced fish, but many manufacturers save money by focusing on egg white, starch and food additives. To purchase high-quality sticks, you should carefully study the composition on the package.

Composition of crab sticks

Crab meat is not used in the production of the product, as evidenced by the postscript on almost all packages - “imitation”. Real sticks are based on surimi, minced fish made from oceanic and tropical varieties of white fish. The raw material is thoroughly washed, squeezed, and due to the characteristics of the meat used, it has neither a pronounced aroma nor taste.

Other ingredients of sticks and their quantity depend on the manufacturer:

  • different types of starch (a link for minced meat particles, thanks to which the sticks remain elastic even after exposure to temperature);
  • water;
  • egg white;
  • vegetable oil;
  • salt;
  • flavor enhancers, sweeteners, dyes, preservatives - the ingredients of this group can be harmful to humans.

In most of the products offered in this category, the mass fraction of fish (in terms of the amount of protein included in the composition) does not exceed 30-35%. GOST for crab sticks does not exist, so the content of components from different manufacturers can vary greatly. There is no particular benefit from the product, since in the process of creating and processing minced fish, all valuable components disappear from it.

Which manufacturer is better in composition?

When buying crab sticks, the main difficulty is choosing a manufacturer, since visually they do not differ from each other. It is important to study the composition and choose a safe product:

  1. Santa Bremor. The mass fraction of fish does not exceed 30%, and the presence of egg white in the composition indicates that the amount of fish protein is even less. The composition includes wheat, potato and modified starch, table salt, glutamic acid, phosphates. Preservatives are not used in production, which makes the product safe, but of little use;
  2. Vici. As part of surimi, wheat starch, butter, egg white, sugar, table salt and food additives. There are no dangerous preservatives and monosodium glutamate enhancer among the components;
  3. Meridian- sticks with a high protein content and a minimum amount of salt. The negative point is the presence in the composition of polyphosphate - a water-retaining component;
  4. Russian sea. The fish share does not exceed 30%, the bulk of the sticks are water and starches (wheat, potato and corn). The composition includes vegetable oil, egg protein, a large amount of salt, glutamic acid;
  5. water world. In the composition of these sticks, muscle fibers of fish meat are found, which is a good indicator. In addition to surimim, the ingredients include water, potato starch, egg white, butter, salt, sugar, food coloring, stabilizers, and natural snow crab flavor.

All popular brands produce products with a similar composition and a minimum of harmful additives. The advantage may be a higher protein content, and a minimum amount of salt than the Meridian and Water World sticks can boast. In general, the bulk of the product is starch and water, which cannot be harmful, but if additives E160, E420, E450 and E171 are indicated on the package, then it is better not to purchase such a product.

When buying, you should definitely pay attention to the appearance of the product - the sticks should be neat, juicy and elastic. A dry, frozen product completely loses even the small benefit that it carries, not to mention the taste.

Nutritional value of the product

Calorie sticks- 88 calories per 100 grams of product. The ratio of BJU in the vast majority of products averages 80%, 20% and 0%.

Video: making crab sticks

The production of crab sticks is a multi-stage technological process that involves multiple processing of minced fish. How exactly they make a popular product is shown in detail in this video.