Do by-products derived from farmed and wild shrimp contain the same quantities of astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin content in the head and shell of commercial shrimp species, from both farming and traditional fisheries on the Pacific coast of Mexico were assessed to establish the best shrimp by-products as a source of astaxanthin. Astaxanthin was mainly found in the esterified form (> 80%) in shrimp tissues, and it was lower in shell (2-20 ppm) compared to the head (7-216 ppm) in all species tested. White shrimp Penaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) farmed under extensive conditions had higher astaxanthin levels in the head (216.5 +/- 25 ppm), followed by wild juvenile (165.7 +/- 15.2 ppm), while the lowest amount (7.6 +/- 1.3 ppm) was detected in shrimp farmed under hyper-intensive conditions. Adult wild shrimp had similar values of astaxanthin (73-88 ppm) in the head regardless of species (P. vannamei, P stylirostris (Stimpson, 1871), and P californiensis (Holmes, 1900)). Shrimp by-products analyzed are a suitable source of astaxanthin, with the exception of shrimp farmed under hyper-intensive conditions.

Automated summary

Research in Mexico evaluated the astaxanthin content in the head and shell of various commercial shrimp species, finding that white shrimp had the highest levels of astaxanthin in the head, while shrimp farmed under hyper-intensive conditions had the lowest levels. Shrimp by-products were shown to be a suitable source of astaxanthin, except for those farmed under hyper-intensive conditions.