We all know that crabs are rich in protein, minerals and vitamins, and have high edible value and are a very popular food. There are certain things to pay attention to when eating crabs, and generally you cannot eat dead crabs. So how do you tell whether a crab is dormant or dead? Let’s take a closer look below! How to distinguish dormancy and death in crabs

1. Touch your eyes

Even if a live crab is dormant, if you touch its eyes with your hands, it will shrink, while the eyes of a dead crab will shrink. The eyes usually stick out.

2. See if it spits bubbles

If a live crab is more energetic, it will spit out a circle of small white bubbles from time to time, while a dormant crab may not spit out bubbles so frequently. , but it will also spit out bubbles. This shows that the crab is still breathing, but if it is a dead crab, it will not spit out bubbles.

3. Untie the rope at room temperature to check the status

A crab placed in the refrigerator may enter a dormant state, but if it is placed at room temperature, the crab will slow down Slow recovery. If there is still no reaction after touching the eyes, you can untie the rope around the crab and put it on the table to see if it can crawl or stretch its claws. If there is no such function, it means that the function has expired and must be discarded.

4. Watering method

Sprinkle a small cup of water on the crab's mouth. Because the crab breathes through its gills, it will open its mouth when it encounters water even if it is in a dormant state. However, if there is no reaction, it may be a dead crab. How to tell whether a crab is dead

1. Blot bubbles

Crabs breathe through their gills. When the crab leaves the water, part of the water in the gills will be discharged from both sides of the mouthparts. After contact with the air, a certain amount of oxygen will be dissolved, and then it will be inhaled into the body through the small holes under the mouthparts to obtain oxygen. When the water on the cheeks decreases and more air is sucked in, what is spit out is a small mixture of water and air, which turns into bubbles. Therefore, put crabs in half a basin of water. Crabs that spit out bubbles indicate that they are still alive.

2. Look at the eyes. When the eyes of live hairy crabs are touched, they will move on their own, while the eyes of dead crabs will not move on their own.

3. Smell

Live hairy crabs smell like aquatic plants, while dead crabs smell like amines.

4. Look at the crab claws

Stretch the hairy crab's calf with your hands. When it is pulled apart, it will retract, indicating that the hairy crab is still alive. Why not eat dead crabs

Dead crabs produce a lot of histamine. Human consumption of dead crabs can cause histamine poisoning. Because histamine is an allergic poison, it can also be said to be allergic food poisoning. Don’t think that just eating a little bit of dead crab meat is enough. Even one bite can cause a reaction in people who are allergic to histamine. For example, after eating dead crabs for 10 minutes to 3 hours, symptoms will appear, such as flushing of the cheeks, flushing of the chest, flushing of the body skin, and conjunctival congestion, as well as headache, dizziness, chest tightness, general weakness, and irritability.

Another important cause of dead crab poisoning is bacterial infection. Generally speaking, the living environment of wild river crabs is not as good as artificial crabs and ocean crabs. Once they die, bacteria inside and outside the body multiply, breaking down the crab meat and producing toxins. Relatively speaking, the risk of bacterial infection is higher. It is also more susceptible to bacterial infections.