Chemical Composition and Quality of White Shrimp

J. Fish. Soc. Taiwan, 35(3): 201-210

201

Proximate Composition, Flavor-related Components and

Sanitation Quality of White Shrimp (Litopenaeus
vannamei ) from Markets and Farms
Mirtala Guevara1, Fan-Hua Nan2 and Chyuan-Yuan Shiau1*
(Received, July 1, 2008; Accepted, September 15, 2008)

ABSTRACT
The proximate composition, flavor-related components and sanitation quality of ten samples of white
shrimp obtained from aquaculture ponds and supermarkets were analyzed. White shrimp was a high
protein (18.6 to 23.2%) and low fat (0.23 to 0.71%) seafood. The cooked sample had lower moisture
content with higher protein. White shrimp was rich in free amino acids (FAA) ranged from 1355~3191
mg/100g. Glycine, arginine, proline, alanine, glutamic acid, and taurine were the predominant compounds.
The cooked sample had the lowest FAA amount; however, the aquaculture pond samples showed the
higher values. Dipeptides, carnosine and anserine, were not found in the muscle of white shrimp. The
ATP-related compounds ranged from 8.2~16.0 mol/g, and IMP, AMP, and inosine were the major ones.
The cooked sample had the lowest amount. The volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) and total plate count (TPC)
of all samples presented lower than the limited value, and SO2 was detected in 5 samples from markets.
Farmed samples showed the lower K value and VBN level than commercial products.
Key words: White shrimp, Proximate composition, Flavoring component, Quality.

INTRODUCTION
White shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei,
formerly Penaeus vannamei) are native to
the Eastern Pacific, from Sonora in Mexico
to Northern Peru. The inshore fishery for
white shrimp is of major importance to El
Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico (Holthuis,
1980). It is a good species to breed because
it grows fast and has tolerance of variable
environment conditions. Through the
success in aquaculture production of this
species, it is expected that white shrimp
become as a new important global seafood
commodity (FAO, 2003). At present, it has
become the popular and major species
of shrimp cultured worldwide. It is mainly
produced in Asia and Latin America,
especially for export purposes, and brings

a wealth of revenue to many developing

countries in those regions. FAO reported for
this species a total wild catch of 1,008 metric
tones and a total aquaculture production of
1,599,423 metric tones in 2005 (FAO, 2007).
The production of white shrimp in Taiwan
was 10,165 metric tones in 2007 (FA, 2008).
Since white shrimp is considered as
an important species of farmed shrimp, the
meat quality of cultured shrimp highly affects
its market price, and sometimes its quality
decreases due to inappropriate handling
and storage. Therefore, the engagement
in the production of high quality product of
white shrimp became the most important
task. However, limited literatures are
available in this regard, and information on
the chemical compositions of white shrimp
meat is not available. In this study, therefore,
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 epartment of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202, Taiwan
D
Department of Aquaculture, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202, Taiwan
* Corresponding author. E-mail: cyshiau@mail.ntou.edu.tw
1
2

Mirtala Guevara, Fan-Hua Nan and Chyuan-Yuan Shiau

202

the biochemical characteristics including

proximate composition (moisture, protein,
lipid and ash), flavoring components (free
amino acids, dipeptides and nucleotiderelated compounds) and quality index such
as pH value, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN),
trimethylamine (TMA), K value, and total
plate count (TPC) will be investigated for
white shrimps obtained from farms and
markets in Taiwan.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

I. White shrimp samples
Te n s a m p l e s o f w h i t e s h r i m p
(Litopenaeus vannamei) were used in
this study for evaluating their quality and
biochemical composition. The sample code,
source, sampling date, weight, length, and
storage method were listed in Table 1.
Seven frozen samples were purchased from
February to March 2006 from supermarkets
in Keelung City and Taipei City, Taiwan.
In February 2006 white shrimp raised in
aquaculture ponds (water salinity of 3.5%)
of Department of Aquaculture of National
Taiwan Ocean University were captured,
stored in a polyethylene box containing salt
water, and frozen to be sent to the laboratory.
In March 2006 another white shrimp sample
raised in aquaculture ponds (water salinity of
2.5%) of Ilan County was captured, stored in
plastic bag and frozen to be transported in an
isothermic box with ice to the laboratory. The
ten samples from farms and markets had
in average a body weight of 14.64 g and a
length of 13.0 cm. Shrimp from each sample
were beheaded and peeled, and a mince of
the muscle was prepared for microbiological
and chemical analyses.
II. Methods
1. Proximate composition
Moisture, crude protein, crude lipid and
ash contents were determined according
to the AOAC (1990) method. Protein was
estimated by total nitrogen multiplied by 6.25.
2. pH value
A 5 g tissue sample was homogenized

in 45 ml distilled water and then the pH was

measured with pH meter (Schoff C G 840).
3. Salt content
Salt content of homogenized shrimp
sample was determined with a salt meter
(Sinar Salt Meter, Merbabu Corp, Japan).
4. Free amino acids and dipeptides
The shrimp meat extracts of free amino
acids (FAAs) and dipeptides (anserine,
carnosine) were prepared according to the
method described by Konosu et al. (1974).
A 10 g tissue sample was homogenized for
2 min in 20 ml of 7% cold trichloroacetic acid
(TCA) using a Polytron homogenizer. The
homogenate was centrifuged at 4000 g (4oC)
for 20 min. The precipitate was extracted
twice according to the same procedure. The
supernatants were combined and made
up to 100 ml with 7% TCA. A 20 ml TCAextracted supernatant was mixed with an
equal amount of ether to remove the TCA.
This procedure was repeated successively
five times. The aqueous solution was
evaporated to dryness in a vacuum
evaporator at a temperature below 40oC.
The dried matter was diluted with distilled
water and made up to 25 ml for analyses.
As described in a previous paper (Shiau
et al., 1996), FAAs and dipeptides were
separated by ion exchange chromatography
and analyzed by a Hitachi L-8500 highspeed amino acid analyzer with a Hitachi
2622 SC packed column (4.6 mm x 60 mm).
The buffers used were the standard lithium
citrate buffers. Postcolumn derivatization
with ninhydrin yielded amino acid derivatives
which were measured by the absorbance
at 570 and 440 nm. Analytical conditions
and procedures were performed according
to the manual provided by the manufacturer
(Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). The levels
of FAAs were estimated on the basis of
peak areas of known concentrations of
the standards (Wako, Ltd. Osaka, Japan)
by using a Hitachi D-2850 chromats data
processor.
5. ATP-related compounds
The extracts of ATP-related compounds
(ARCs) in shrimp samples were prepared
according to the method of Suwetja
et al. (1989). A 5 g tissue sample was
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Chemical Composition and Quality of White Shrimp

homogenized for 2 min in 15 ml pre-cooled

6% perchloric acid (PCA) solution. The
homogenate was centrifuged at 1600 g (4oC)
for 20 min. The supernatant was filtered
with Toyo #2 filter paper and the precipitate
was extracted twice with 6% PCA. The
supernatants were combined, adjusted to
pH 6.5 with 1 N KOH and then incubated
for 30 min at 0oC to precipitate potassium
perchlorate. After filtration, the supernatant
was made up to 100 ml with neutralized PCA
solution (pH 6.5) for ARCs analyses. ARCs
including ATP, ADP, AMP, IMP, inosine (HxR)
and hypoxanthin (Hx) were determined by
high-performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC, Shimadzu LC-10A) as described
by Shiau et al. (1996). In brief, a 25 l
portion of the PCA extract, previously filtered
through a 0.2 m membrane, was injected
into a Cosmosil packed column (4.6 mm x
250 mm). Two mobile phases used for the
separation of ARCs consisted of eluent A, 50
mM KH2PO4-K2HPO4 (pH 6.5), and eluent B,
a mixture of eluent A solution and methanol
(9 : 1, v/v). Eluent A was applied for 14 min,
followed by a linear gradient with an increase
in eluent B up to 100% in 11 min and then by
eluent B for 25 min. The flow rate was set to
0.7 ml/min and the column temperature was
held at 25oC. The eluent was monitored by
UV absorption at 254 nm. The ARCs were
identified by comparing the retention times
of peaks in HPLC between samples and
authentic compounds (Sigma Chemical Co.,
St. Louis, MD). For quantification, calibration
curves were constructed in concentration
from 0.05 to 0.8 nmol.
The results were expressed as K values
(Saito et al., 1959), calculated by using the
following formula: K values (%) = (inosine +
hypoxanthine) / (ATP + ADP + AMP + IMP +
inosine + hypoxanthine) x 100%.
6. Volatile basic nitrogen (VBN)
The VBN was estimated according to
the microdiffusion method (Cobb et al., 1973)
utilizing trichloroacetic acid (TCA) extract as
mentioned above.
7. Trimethylamine (TMA)
The above TCA extracts of shrimp
samples were used for the determination

203

of TMA according to the method described

by Wekell and Barnett (1991). To suppress
interferences caused by ammonia and
primary amines, formaldehyde solution was
added to an aliquot of the extract. Alkali
(KOH 45%) was added to the extract and
the free TMA base was extracted with
toluene. This extract was reacted with
picric acid, which interacted with the primary
and secondary amines to produce colored
reaction products (yellow picrates) with
maximum absorption at 410 nm. Results
were expressed as mg TMA per 100 g.
8. Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
The presence or absence of SO2 was
determined using p-rosanilin-formaldehyde
reagent provided by the Department of
Health of Taipei City Government. The
reagent was applied on the surface of whole
shrimps of each sample placed on a white
surface. In less than 2 min a pink coloration
of the dripped reagent indicated the presence
of SO2 and absence of color indicated the
absence of the additive.
9. Aerobic plate count
The total bacteria count was determined
by the spread (surface) plate method using
plate count agar (PCA) agar (FDA, 1998).
Samples for microbiological analyses were
prepared by homogenizing 25 g of minced
shrimp in a stomacher bag with 225 g of
sterile water (pH of 7.23) using a stomacher
blender (Seward Stomacher 400 Laboratory
blender) for 60 seconds. The samples were
further diluted decimally as needed and
spread uniformly onto surface of predried
PCA agar plates. The spread plates were
prepared in duplicate and incubated at 38C
for 24 hours. At the end of the incubation
period, PCA plates containing 25-250
colonies were counted and the number of
colony-forming units (CFU) per gram were
calculated and data were recorded.
10. Statistical analysis
Data were analyzed using analysis of
variance (ANOVA) through SAS/PC Program
(SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Duncans multiplerange test was applied to determine the
significance of differences between the
means.
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Mirtala Guevara, Fan-Hua Nan and Chyuan-Yuan Shiau

204

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

I. Proximate composition and salt content
Table 1 describes ten shrimp samples
from farms and markets in Taiwan. Samples
raised in the aquaculture ponds of the
National Taiwan Ocean University were
F1 and F2. Sample F3 was collected
from a farm located in Ilan County, Taiwan.
Samples M1 to M7 consisted of frozen white
shrimp bought in supermarkets of Keelung
City and Taipei City. M1 to M6 were raw
frozen samples and M7 was cooked frozen
products.
The proximate compositions in
percentage of the different samples of white
shrimp are shown in Table 2. For the raw

frozen samples, the moisture ranged from

74.1% to 78.9%, very close to the value
of 76.0% reported by different authors
(Ezquerra et al., 2004; Zeng et al., 2005).
Cooking often involves liquids released
from the foods themselves taking out salt,
nutrients and flavor constituents, having at
the same time the effect on the concentration
of the remaining major components. For this
reason the cooked sample (M7) presented
the lowest value of moisture (73.1%) and
ash (1.3%) with the highest value of protein
(24.3%) compared with the other samples.
Excluding the cooked sample, the protein
content ranged from 18.6% to 23.2%. These
values coincide with the values of 16.3% to
22.1% of protein found by Janakiram et al.
(2003) for different species of shrimp. The

Table 1. Description of white shrimp samples from farm ponds and markets in Taiwan
Sample
code
F1
F2
F3
M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
M6
M7

Source

Sampling date

Aquaculture ponds, NTOU

Aquaculture ponds, NTOU
Ilan farm
Keelung supermarket 1
Keelung supermarket 2
Keelung supermarket 3
Keelung supermarket 4
Taipei supermarket 1
Taipei supermarket 2
Taipei supermarket 3

June 2006
February 2006
March 2006
February 2006
February 2006
February 2006
February 2006
March 2006
March 2006
March 2006

Weight
(g)
15.13
12.76
8.26
14.81
17.26
12.17
16.40
12.45
22.47
15.14

Length
(cm)
11.8
13.1
12.2
11.7
15.8
12.3
14.0
11.4
14.1
12.7

Storage
method
fresh
frozen
frozen
frozen
frozen
frozen
frozen
frozen
frozen
frozen

Remarks
raw
raw, salt water
raw
raw
raw
raw
raw
raw
raw
cooked

TAO

Table 2. Proximate composition* and salt (%)* of white shrimp sampled from farms and
markets
Sample
F1
F2
F3
M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
M6
M7

Moisture
77.05
76.36
74.76
74.14
74.52
78.92
75.53
74.97
74.51
73.12

Crude protein
21.33 (90.53)**
19.98 (85.59)
23.22 (92.57)
22.68 (92.08)
21.86 (92.04)
18.56 (92.09)
22.19 (91.24)
22.92 (92.42)
22.96 (92.91)
24.30 (93.04)

Crude fat
0.71 (3.00)
0.45 (1.91)
0.32 (1.27)
0.27 (1.10)
0.29 (1.20)
0.23 (1.13)
0.46 (1.91)
0.40 (1.60)
0.24 (0.95)
0.49 (1.88)

* Value is mean of two determinations.

** The values in parenthesis represent data on dry weight basis.

Ash
1.52 (6.47)
2.92 (12.50)
1.55 (6.16)
1.68 (6.82)
1.61 (6.76)
1.37 (6.78)
1.67 (6.86)
1.48 (5.97)
1.52 (6.14)
1.32 (5.07)

Salt
1.1
2.3
1.1
1.1
1.0
0.9
1.1
0.9
1.1
0.9

Chemical Composition and Quality of White Shrimp

content of crude fat was quite low, ranging

from 0.23 to 0.71%, very close to the
reference values of 0.4% - 2.4% (Ezquerra
et al., 2004; Zeng et al., 2005). White shrimp
is considered a lean seafood, i.e. with fat
content of less than 5% (Stansby, 1963).
The highest ash content was 2.92%
shown by the sample F2, raised in the
aquaculture ponds and frozen in a box
containing salt water. The other samples
had an ash value from 1.37% to 1.68%, very
close to the value found for different shrimp
(Boonsumrej et al., 2006). The percentage
of salt content for the different samples
of white shrimp is shown in Table 2. The
sample with the highest value of salt (2.3%)
was F2, might be due to its freezing in salt
water. Excluding the sample frozen in salt

205

water mentioned before, the salt content

for the other samples ranged from 0.9% to
1.1%, values that are very close to the 0.7%
of shrimp (Pandalus borealis) found by Zeng
(2005). In general, it can be found that ash
content is proportionally correlated with salt
content. When the salt content is higher, the
ash content is also high.
II. Free amino acids and dipeptides
The free amino acids and dipeptides
contents of the white shrimp from farms
and markets are shown in Table 3. The
total content of free amino acids ranged
from 1355 to 3191 mg/100 g. The higher
total contents were for samples F1, F2,
and F3, respectively, and the lowest for the

Table 3. F
 ree amino acids and dipeptides (mg/100 g)* of white shrimp sampled from farms and
markets
Phosphoserine
Taurine
Aspartic acid
Threonine
Serine
Glutamic acid
-Amino adipic acid
Glycine
Alanine
Valine
Cystine
Methionine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Tyrosine
Phenylalanine
-Alanine
Ethanol amine
Ornithine
Lysine
Histidine
Arginine
Hydroxy proline
Proline
Total content
Carnosine
Anserine

F1
F2
F3
M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
M6
M7
-**
1.7
1.1
1.8
3.7
2.0
5.4
5.2
2.7
1.0
63.9
66.9
84.8
57.4
55.5
53.0
54.0
58.2
59.8
40.7
4.4
4.1
2.1
3.2
2.1
4.2
5.1
0.6
3.0
5.2
4.4
10.1
9.9
17.3
21.4
10.1
16.0
11.6
18.1
3.1
10.5
20.1
17.1
15.3
22.0
24.2
24.7
21.6
28.5
7.0
73.8
42.7
50.8
45.8
61.5
47.8
48.5
46.6
76.5
36.4
1.0
1.0
1.8
2.0
1407.6 1093.1 1003.9 480.7 467.5 697.4 654.3 615.4 583.9 392.4
124.0
73.9 206.5 131.7 137.4 145.6 136.3 131.9 171.3 110.2
18.6
25.0
29.7
13.3
34.0
10.2
24.8
33.0
45.2
11.6
3.2
0.5
2.9
10.1
8.8
5.6
8.9
11.3
12.9
11.6
13.9
2.4
5.0
13.7
16.3
12.1
17.7
13.2
17.1
15.8
24.7
6.9
12.1
28.5
33.8
25.1
32.6
26.3
34.9
33.7
50.2
14.7
12.1
17.8
17.1
13.1
20.4
20.3
20.6
21.0
28.8
13.3
4.7
16.3
17.6
12.5
16.0
14.3
22.0
19.1
25.3
7.6
5.5
5.0
3.0
1.6
3.6
1.0
3.8
10.1
4.6
1.6
1.2
2.3
0.6
8.5
21.3
8.5
29.2
26.2
11.7
23.8
14.1
12.2
2.2
12.5
27.2
36.8
41.0
48.8
47.6
43.2
47.4
53.2
14.0
9.7
12.9
16.4
22.8
25.3
12.6
14.4
25.7
26.8
13.8
861.0 638.3 677.5 772.7 803.6 537.4 585.2 733.3 609.6 469.9
19.1
8.3
32.5
15.3
6.3
22.5
19.1
6.4
538.1 179.5 459.4 213.4 220.3 144.5 149.6 283.3 307.6 193.5
3191.4 2337.3 2712.0 1951.4 2047.7 1836.1 1909.9 2172.7 2180.8 1355.0
-

* Value is mean of two determinations.

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** - not detected or trace.

Mirtala Guevara, Fan-Hua Nan and Chyuan-Yuan Shiau

206

cooked sample (M7) due to the cooking

process where some amino acids and small
compounds were lost during the processing.
For the samples F1, F2, and F3, from
aquaculture ponds, the highest amino acid
was glycine, with a concentration of 1408
mg/100 g for the fresh (F1) sample and
values of 1093 mg/100 g and 1004 mg/100
g for samples F2 and F3, respectively. For
the same samples the second highest amino
acid was arginine with the concentration
ranged from 678 to 861 mg/100 g for farmed
shrimps. For the commercial samples the
highest value was arginine (470 to 804
mg/100 g), followed by glycine (392 to 697
mg/100 g). For nine of the ten samples, the
third highest concentration of amino acids
was proline (150 to 538 mg/100 g), and for
the same number of samples, the fourth
highest value was alanine (74 to 207 mg/100
g).
For all the samples were found high
levels of glycine, arginine, proline, alanine,
glutamic acid, and taurine. These free amino
acids coincide with ones reported by Konosu
and Yamaguchi (1982) for crustaceans.
Besides, these amino acids such as glycine,
alanine, glutamic acid and arginine have
been related with sweet or umami taste
(Konosu and Yamaguchi, 1982; Komata,
1990; Fuke, 1994; Huss, 1995). White
shrimp products were rich in these amino
acids, suggesting that these FAA might
contribute to the umami and sweet taste of
the products. Some of them such as taurine
play important role in physiological functions
such as osmoregulation (Schoffeniels and
Gilles, 1972; Wright et al., 1986). Hayes

(1976) reported that taurine was an essential

amino acid for cats, and deficient supply
could lead to blindness.
Dipeptides such as carnosine (-alanylL-histidine) and anserine (-alanyl-l-methylL-histidine) are the major dipeptides in
vertebrates, but not in invertebrates (Konosu
and Yamaguchi, 1982; Abe, 1995). As
expected, these compounds were not
detected or only present as traces in the
muscle of white shrimp samples in this study.
III. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its
related compounds
The ATP-related compounds for white
shrimp samples from farms and markets
are shown in Table 4. The lowest value of
total content of APT-related compounds
(8.19 mol/g) was for the cooked sample
(M7) due to the lost of small water soluble
components during the cooking process.
The fresh sample (F1) had the highest
contents of total compounds (15.98 mol/
g), ATP (2.57 mol/g), ADP (5.88 mol/g),
and AMP (5.40 mol/g). The compound
with the highest concentration for the most
of the samples (F2, F3, M1-M6) was the
IMP, with values ranging from 4.56 to 9.38
mol/g. In addition, white shrimp products
were also rich in AMP. Nucleotides, such as
IMP of GMP have been thought to be taste
enhancers and potentiators. In combination
with other compounds such as glutamic
acid, they produce a flavor synergistic
effect. In particular, purine ribonucleotide
5-monophosphate with 6-hydroxyl groups,
such as IMP and GMP, are the most
TAO

Table 4. ATP-related compounds (mol/g)* of white shrimp sampled from farms and markets
ATP
ADP
AMP
IMP
Inosine
Hypoxanthine
Total content
K value (%)

F1
2.57
5.88
5.40
1.80
0.17
0.24
15.98
0.85

F2
0.21
0.53
0.85
9.38
1.76
0.63
13.36
17.93

F3
0.29
0.36
2.05
5.15
0.42
0.35
8.62
9.05

* Value is mean of two determinations.

M1
0.09
0.55
2.51
7.71
1.30
0.75
12.91
15.88

M2
0.19
0.50
2.84
5.01
2.76
1.05
12.33
30.84

M3
0.08
0.37
1.49
6.08
1.08
0.86
9.96
19.53

M4
0.25
0.52
2.09
7.71
1.71
1.06
13.34
20.76

M5
0.31
0.49
2.33
7.17
1.34
0.71
12.35
16.56

M6
0.21
0.65
1.93
4.53
2.73
1.00
11.06
33.78

M7
0.39
1.74
4.05
1.05
0.21
0.76
8.19
11.77

Chemical Composition and Quality of White Shrimp

contributors to flavor (Komata, 1990; Fuke,

1994; Lindsay, 1994). AMP and CMP are
also considered as flavor-active compounds
(Konosu et al., 1987). Since white shrimp
are rich in glutamic acid and 5'-nucleotides,
the umami taste of white shrimp meat might
be contributed by the synergism between
glutamic acid and 5'-nucleotides.
The K-value index is a freshness
index which shows the extent of enzymatic
breakdown in fish and shellfish, and
increases with storage time (Arai, 1966;
Yamagata and Low, 1995). The lowest
K-value (0.85%) was for the fresh white
shrimp sample (F1) and the highest value
(33.78%) was for one of the samples from
the markets (M6).
IV. The pH value, volatile basic nitrogen,
and trimethylamine
Table 5 represents the pH value, volatile
basic nitrogen (VBN), and trimethylamine
(TMA) for white shrimp samples from farm
ponds and markets. The pH values ranged
from 6.73 for the fresh sample (F1) to
7.73 for the cooked sample (M7). These
values are considered normal due to their
coincidence with several reports (Flick and
Lovell, 1972; Cobb et al., 1977; Layrisse
and Matches, 1984; Mendes et al., 2002) for
shrimp species in the post mortem state. It
is normal to have a pH value in the range 6

207

to 7. In general, fresh muscle has a lower

pH (King and Whyte, 2006), and this is the
cause of the lower pH value for the fresh
sample (F1).
The volatile basic nitrogen (VBN)
is a general term which includes the
measurement of TMA, dimethyamine
(DMA), ammonia and other volatile basic
nitrogenous compounds associated with
seafood spoilage (Huss, 1995). It is one
of the most widely used measurements of
seafood quality. The VBN values ranged
from 4.17 mg/100 g for the fresh white
shrimp sample (F1) to 20.12 mg/100 g for
one of the commercial samples (M5). Limit
amount of VBN is as follows: 25 mg/100 g
for frozen seafood, 50 mg/100 g for shark
products, and 15 mg/100 g for sushi or
sashimi (DOH, 1998). Taking as reference
the limit value of 25 mg/100 g for seafood,
all of white shrimp products are considered
acceptable. The samples from aquaculture
farms (F1-F3) had a value under 15 mg/100
g established for sushi or sashimi.
The lowest value of TMA was 0.34
mg/100 g and it was found for the fresh
shrimp sample (F1). The highest value
was 4.27 mg/100 g and was for one of
the samples from the markets (M1). TMA
is used to evaluate spoilage of seafood
and limits of 5 mg N/100 g in shrimp have
been reported (Cobb et al., 1973; Zeng et
al., 2005). Generally the meaning of TMA
TAO

Table 5. The pH value, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), trimethylamine (TMA), SO2 residue, and
total plate count (TPC)* of white shrimp sampled from farms and markets
Sample
F1
F2
F3
M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
M6
M7

pH
6.73
7.31
7.01
7.40
7.04
7.37
7.21
6.87
6.90
7.73

VBN (mg/100g)
4.17
9.75
13.97
18.11
16.04
19.58
19.60
20.12
16.73
16.60

* Value is mean of two determinations.

** : + : residue detected, : not detected.

TMA (mg/100g)
0.34
3.07
3.19
4.27
2.45
2.53
3.33
3.14
2.99
3.23

SO2**
+
+
+
+
+

TPC (log CFU/g)

1.27
2.30
3.56
2.12
3.71
6.27
2.30
3.05
<1
3.21

208

Mirtala Guevara, Fan-Hua Nan and Chyuan-Yuan Shiau

concentration has been reported as 0-1

mg/100 g for fresh fish, 1-5 mg/100 g for
initial corruption, and more than 6 mg/100
g for rotten fish (uneatable in the raw). The
sample (F1) showed a value under 1 mg/100
g, being considered very fresh. The rest of
the samples had a value of TMA in the range
of 1-5 mg/100 g and are qualified in an initial
corruption stage.
V. Presence of sulphur dioxide (SO2)
The results of the detection of presence/
absence of SO2 are shown in Table 5. Sulfur
dioxide inhibits the activity of common
oxidizing enzymes. It also has antioxidant
properties, that is, it is an oxygen acceptor.
Sulfur dioxide also interferes with microbial
growth (Potter and Hotchkiss, 1995). The
samples raised in the aquaculture ponds (F1
- F3) and two of the commercial samples
(M1, M4) showed no SO2, but the rest of the
5 commercial samples showed presence
of the SO2. The samples without SO2 had
a darker color compared with the samples
treated with SO2. The results revealed that
SO2 were common additives used to prevent
darker color of shrimp products.
VI. Aerobic plate count
Table 5 shows the results of the total
aerobic plate count of the white shrimp sampled
from farms and markets. The lowest microbial
counts were for a commercial sample (M6)
with < 1 log CFU/g and the fresh sample with
1.27 log CFU/g. The highest value (6.27 log
CFU/g) was for a commercial sample (M3).
For determining the aerobic plate count for
shelf life of food, the sanitation standard (3
x 106 CFU/g or 6.48 log CFU/g) for frozen
seafood was used (DOH, 1998). Taking this
value as a base, all the samples comply with
the microbiological standards.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by Taiwan
International Cooperation and Decelopment
Fund, R.O.C..

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210

Mirtala Guevara, Fan-Hua Nan and Chyuan-Yuan Shiau

(Litopenaeus vannamei)

Mirtala Guevara121*
(2008712008915)
10
(0.23 to 0.71%)(18.6 to 23.2%)
(FAA)(1355~3191 mg/100g)
FAA
8.19~15.98 mol/g
(IMP)AMP
(VBN)(TPC)5
KVBN

TAO

* cyshiau@mail.ntou.edu.tw
2