Impact of sex and size range on fat, cholesterol content, and fatty acid profiles in edible tissues of spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus Raf.) from Lake Goplo (Poland)

. The aim of the present work was to determine the fatty acid profile, the total cholesterol content, and the percentage of fat in the meat of the abdominal section of spiny-cheek crayfish Oreonectes limosus (Raf.) caught in Lake Gop3o. A total of 138 crayfish, including males, was collected for the study in spring (May 2012). Analyses indicated that fat content was higher in the meat of females (1.31%) than in that of males (1.14%), and there were no statistically significant differences in the fat content between females and males. Differences between the mean fat content in the muscle of males from groups I, II, and III were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The same results were observed for both groups of females. The total cholesterol content was higher in the meat of female crayfish (95.65 mg 100 g-¹) than in that of males (88.53 mg 100 g^-1). The differences between the mean cholesterol content in the muscles of the three male groups were not statistically significant. The same results were observed for the groups of females. In all the crayfish groups, the main SFA was C16:0, MUFAs were dominated by C18:1 n-6, and the highest percentage of PUFA was of C20:5 n-3.