UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

The present study compared the proximate biochemical composition of wild and fattened mud crab, Scylla serrata (Forskål, 1775), collected from the coastal region of Tamil Nadu, India. Twelve specimens were examined: wild males, wild females, fattened males and fattened females, with three individuals in each group. Muscle tissues were analysed for moisture, protein, lipid, ash and carbohydrate contents using standard biochemical procedures, and values were expressed on a wet-weight basis. The results showed variation in proximate composition among the crab groups. Moisture content was lower in wild females (73.63 ± 0.47%) than in fattened females (77.17 ± 0.32%). Protein content was lower in wild males (15.43 ± 0.35%) than in fattened females (18.93 ± 0.21%). Lipid content was lower in wild males (3.87 ± 0.15%) than in fattened females (6.37 ± 0.15%). Ash content was 2.30 ± 0.10% in wild females and 3.10 ± 0.10% in fattened males. Carbohydrate content was higher in wild males (3.37 ± 1.08%) than in fattened females (0.13 ± 0.23%). Overall, fattened crabs showed higher protein and lipid levels than wild crabs, while female crabs generally showed greater nutrient accumulation than males. These observations suggest that fattening may influence the proximate composition of S. serrata muscle and may contribute to improved nutritional value. The findings provide baseline information on the biochemical composition of wild and fattened mud crabs from the Tamil Nadu coast.