Crab sticks are very popular in Russia, as they are used to prepare various salads, snacks and other dishes. An important role in this was played by the low cost of the product, as well as its availability, since you can buy crab sticks in almost any store.
Composition of crab sticks
Contrary to popular belief and research from multiple test purchases, the low cost of crab sticks is due to the lack of even a small portion of crab meat.
Typically this ready-to-eat product contains minced fish, starch and soy protein. These ingredients are pressed and generously flavored with crab flavor, due to which they taste a bit like the meat of this sea creature. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous manufacturers do not use minced fish at all, but only fish by-products, which are a pity to throw away.
Therefore, if you still like to add crab sticks to salads, then carefully study their composition in the store. A relatively good and quality product should include surimi (industrial name for minced fish), drinking water, starch, egg white, soy protein, vegetable oil, sugar and salt, as well as stabilizers and flavor enhancers. Of course, these crab sticks won't do you any good, but they won't do much harm either.
The harm and benefits of crab sticks
The benefits of this product are close to zero, since they can be rather conditionally called a natural product. The method of preparing surimi practically excludes all useful fats, vitamins and microelements from minced fish. The finished product includes only fish protein, but if surimi is prepared from by-products, then the latter remains quite small.
Much more can be said about the dangers of crab sticks. To understand its possible degree, it is enough to simply study the composition of the product. Usually, when preparing crab sticks, food additives E171, E160, E450 and E420 are used, which are not prohibited in the food industry, but can cause the onset and exacerbation of chronic diseases - the gastrointestinal tract, allergies and others.
Another important factor is that minced fish, which is part of crab sticks, is not subjected to preliminary heat treatment, therefore, the degree of danger of microbiological contamination is high. Everything, of course, depends on the manufacturer and the competent authorities checking food products, but the average consumer should be seriously wary of the presence of harmful and dangerous microorganisms in them. Moreover, you should not buy crab sticks by weight, even at very low prices, and you should give preference to products in packaging.
