Effects of silage preservation on astaxanthin forms and fatty acid profiles of processed shrimp (Pandalus borealis) waste

Abstract Acid silage of shellfish processing waste has been reported to be a good and economical technique to protect these biomasses from bacterial decomposition. Shrimp ( Pandalus borealis ) by-products contain some value-added nutrients for the aquaculture industry such as carotenoid pigments (mainly astaxanthin) and n − 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of ensiling shrimp waste during a long period of time (more than 3 months) on some unstable components such as the astaxanthin forms (free, mono- and diesterified) and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Comparisons of astaxanthin forms and the fatty acid profiles were performed on defrosted shrimp waste and on a 14-week-old shrimp waste silage. No significant difference ( P ≥ 0.05) in the total lipids extracted from the two forms of shrimp waste was observed. Nevertheless, a small quantity of the red pigment, presumably an astaxanthin portion, was observed to stay firmly bound to the shrimp carapace after the solvent extraction in shrimp waste compared to the full recovery obtained in ensiled shrimp waste. This may explain the significantly ( P P