Comparative Analysis of Eating Quality and Nutritional Quality in Whiteleg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) from Three Aquaculture Environments
XU Jinhua, MAO Yuan, QIAO Lu, YANG Zhen, HU Xin, XU Xiaodong, JIA Fanghui, LI Jincheng, MU Yingchun
1. Key Laboratory of Control of Quality and Safety for Aquatic Products, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China; 2. Shihezi Livestock and Veterinary Workstation, the 8th Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Shihezi 832000, China; 3. College of Food Science and Engineering, Bohai University, Jinzhou 121013, China
Abstract：This study analyzed and evaluated the eating quality and nutritional quality of Litopenaeus vannamei cultivated in three aquaculture environments (saline-alkali water and freshwater in Xinjiang, and seawater in Zhanjiang, Guangdong) by using traditional nutritional quality evaluation methods. With respect to chroma and texture, cooked shrimp cultured in seawater exhibited a higher redness value and a color closer to pinkish-white. The elasticity and resilience of the saline alkali water group were significantly higher than those of the seawater and freshwater groups (P < 0.05). Additionally, the cohesiveness of the saline-alkali water group was significantly greater than that of the freshwater group (P < 0.05), while no significant difference between the saline-alkali and seawater groups. These results indicate that Pacific white shrimp cultured under saline-alkali conditions possesses superior texture properties. Significant differences were observed in the basic nutritional composition of shrimp muscle from the three cultivation environments. Shrimp reared in saline-alkali water exhibited the lowest crude protein content. In contrast, seawater-cultivated shrimp demonstrated the highest crude protein content, followed by freshwater-reared shrimp. Regarding amino acid composition, the seawater-cultivated group contained the highest total amino acid content. However, shrimp from the saline-alkaline water environment had the highest proportion of taste-active amino acids. Amino acid score and chemical score analyses identified methionine + cysteine as the first limiting amino acid and valine as the second limiting amino acid for shrimps from all three environments, which were found to be rich in lysine. Based on the essential amino acid index and the score of ratio coefficient of amino acid (SRC), the protein composition of shrimp cultivated in saline-alkali water was closer to the whole egg protein pattern than that of the other groups. Concerning fatty acid profiles, the seawater-cultivated group exhibited the greatest diversity of fatty acids and the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content, followed by the freshwater group. Behenic acid (C22:0) was not detected in the freshwater-cultivated group, while palmitoleic acid (C16:1 n-7), linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3), and behenic acid (C22:0) were found to be absent in the saline-alkali water group. Notably, the freshwater group contained a significantly higher content of eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid compared to the seawater and saline-alkali water groups (P < 0.05). The nutritional and processing characteristics of Pacific white shrimp cultured in saline-alkali water demonstrated distinctive advantages, particularly their suitability for processing into elastic and resilient products such as shrimp paste. This study provides crucial data support for the high value-added development of shrimp from diverse aquaculture environments.
2026, Vol. 40 
