Climate-driven changes to taste and aroma determining metabolites in an economically valuable portunid (Portunus armatus) have implications for future harvesting

Abstract

The effects of climate change on the distribution and biology of fisheries species have received substantial attention, but quantitative assessments of changes to taste and aroma determining compounds remain limited—despite sensory quality being a key driver of demand for most harvested species. Utilising the economically important blue swimmer crab (Portunus armatus), we tested the effects of temperature and salinity treatments aligned with near-future climate change projections on volatile and non-volatile sensory compounds that determine seafood flavour. Volatile compounds were analysed using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and non-volatiles were identified using liquid chromatography (mass spectrometry analysis). Multivariate analyses revealed that temperature, but not salinity, significantly affected the compositions of both volatile and non-volatile compounds in crab meat following a 30-day exposure period. Univariate analyses highlighted significant reductions in amino acids and amines associated with bitter and sweet organoleptic properties following exposure to elevated temperature. These results imply the potential for climate change to alter taste and aroma determining compounds in seafood, which could affect future harvesting priorities. Assessments of seafood sensory quality under climate change can produce valuable information to help predict shifts in fishing effort for harvested species that form the basis of important global fisheries.

Continuous Warming Drives the Colonization Dynamics of Periphytic Protozoan Fauna in Marine Environments

“…It has been increasingly recognized that the global climate change is having a signi cant adverse effect on coastal ecosystems (Vaughan, 2019;Shalders et al, 2023). Previous investigations have demonstrated that rising temperatures have signi cant impact on a variety of marine groups, including crustaceans, bivalves, gastropods and teleosts (Tate et al, 2017;Anacleto et al, 2014;Lemasson et al, 2019;Champion et al, 2022). Recent reports demonstrated that the greenhouse effect could raise seasurface temperatures by 1-10°C during this century, and thus, the great recovery function of the marine microbial fauna in the long-term evolution will meet a new challenge in the changing marine environment with continuous warming (Hutchins and Fu, 2017).…”