The problem of deterioration of the crab flesh, commonly called 'mushiness', has been widely known, and mostly ignored, for many years. When mushiness occurs, the normally firm and resilient crab muscle loses integrity and becomes soft. A mushy crab is externally indistinguishable from one with firm flesh and hence the defect cannot be detected at the point of sale. This causes severe disappointment for the consumer and produces buyer resistance to the product. With progressively larger catches and higher prices for crabs each year, the problem of mushiness has become one which can no longer be ignored, as the economic losses which may be sustained are quite substantial.

This project was undertaken to investigate the problem of mushiness, its incidence, causes and remedies. The findings are presented in this report.