UMaine Team Examines Using Green Crabs in Dog Biscuits

by Laurie Schreiber

A University of Maine team is studying the possibilities of utilizing invasive green crab (Carcinus maenas) as an ingredient in dog biscuits.Courtesy of University of Maine.

Invasive green crabs might not have much use as human food.

But cooked whole and ground up, they appear to have potential as a primary ingredient in dog biscuits.

Green crabs are a voracious invasive species that’s decimating Maine’s clam population, threatening the livelihoods of clammers, and clogging lobster traps.

“People are never going to eat green crabs because they’re so small,” said Angela Myracle an assistant professor of human nutrition at University of Maine’s School of Food And Agriculture and a scientist with the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network.

But the crabs, used whole, have protein, fiber and mineral components that make them useful as dog biscuits, she said.

Myracle hit upon the idea when she was shopping for a present for her partner’s new dog.

“I bought some dog biscuits. They happened to be lobster flavored,” she said. “I then looked over the package and said, ‘These are lobster treats and they’re produced in Iceland? Really? We can do this in Maine.’”

But instead of lobster, she said, dog biscuits seemed like a great opportunity to utilize green crab.

Her student Anna Smestad, a University of Maine human nutrition and pre-med major, took on the project.

“We bought two pressure cookers,” Myracle said. “We had to figure out a way to cook these things, dry them and grind them up. She’s figured out that process.”

The process involves cooking 10 to 15 crabs at a time, including the shell, for as long as 90 minutes, grinding them into a fine powdered meal, adding flour, then shaping and baking the biscuits.

Smestad experimented with creating oat, wheat and rice flour-based biscuits. The two tested the biscuits on dogs belonging to family and friends. The rice biscuit wasn’t successful. Oat had better luck. The dogs mostly favored the wheat variety, Myracle said.

“It binds together nicely and bakes up to a golden brown cookie with some pliability, so it’s not hard as a rock,” she said.

Smell was a consideration. Myracle said her partner objected to the smell of the Icelandic lobster biscuits, but the partner and other dog owners said the green crab biscuits were acceptable.

Myracle and Smestad continue to examine the digestibility of the biscuits, as well as their nutritional value, texture and pliability.

Now, Myracle said, “We hope to get the idea out there and see if someone wants to to pursue it.”

The biscuits could be a great marketing opportunity, she said, given trends these days for dog-targeted products, combined with visitors who seek Maine products.

“It’s about taking a simple idea to solve a complex problem and help the Maine economy,” she said.

This article originally appeared in Mainebiz.