Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) muscle proteins as source to develop edible films

Effects of partial replacement of unwashed Antarctic krill surimi by Litopenaeus vannamei surimi on the heat-induced gelling and three-dimensional-printing properties

There is an emerging consumption of the Antarctic krill (AK) muscle-based food due to its excellent nutritional value and enormous biomass storage capacity. However, the coarse texture of the muscle and the weak gelling properties of AK protein impede its expansion in surimi-based products. This investigation successfully prepared heat-induced gels of AK surimi with desirable textural properties by including Litopenaeus vannamei in varying proportions. Higher concentrations of L. vannamei resulted in improved three-dimensional printability, greater water-holding capacity (WHC), larger viscoelastic modulus, and a well-formed microstructural matrix of AK surimi, due to an increased level of myofibrillar protein. Compared with AK, L. vannamei muscle had double the salt-soluble protein content, which was corroborated by increased intensity of bands of actin, paramyosin, tropomyosin, and myosin light chains on reducing SDS-PAGE. DSC results indicated that a high ratio of L. vannamei elevated the denaturation temperature and enthalpy of myosin, sarcoplasmic protein, and actin, suggesting a high degree of cross-linking. It was also found that when hydroxypropyl cassava starch was added at 0.5% (w/w), WHC and gel strength were further improved with a more compact gel matrix. The successful preparation of unwashed mixed surimi with AK meat fully exploited in this study provides an option for AK surimi-based product industrialization.

Biochemical Characterization and Storage Stability of Process Waters from Industrial Shrimp Production

Shrimp boiling water (SBW) and shrimp peeling water (SPW), generated during shrimp processing, were characterized in terms of crude composition, volatile compounds, as well as nutritional and potentially toxic elements over a 13 month sampling period. The storage stability of both waters was also evaluated. Results showed that SBW contained on median 14.8 g/L protein and 2.2 g/L total fatty acids with up to 50% comprising eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Astaxanthin esters, which dominated the total astaxanthin, were 2.8 mg/L on median. SPW, on the other hand, contained on median 1.0 g/L of protein, 0.21 g/L of total fatty acids, and 1.2 mg/L astaxanthin esters. For both side-streams, essential amino acids were up to 50% of total amino acids. For SBW and SPW, the most abundant nutritional elements were Na, K, P, Ca, Cu, and Zn. The contents of all potentially toxic elements were below the detection limits, except for As. SBW was more stable at 4 °C compared to SPW as shown, e.g., by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and relative changes in total volatile basic nitrogen. The extensive compositional mapping of SBW/SPW provides crucial knowledge necessary in the exploitation and value-adding of such side-streams into food or feed products.

Protein Hydrolysis and Glycosylation as Strategies to Produce Bioactive Ingredients from Unmarketable Prawns

The present work shows a procedure to valorize non-commercial boiled shrimp to produce functional ingredients, using a combined treatment based on enzymatic hydrolysis and subsequent glycation under mild conditions. Antioxidant and prolyl endopeptidase-inhibiting activities were determined as a function of hydrolysis and glycation times (0-120 min and 0-180 min, respectively). The reaction products were characterized by determining the degree of hydrolysis, browning, fluorescent compounds, free amino acids, phenol content, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and molecular weight of the different fractions obtained. Enzymatic hydrolysis generated hydrolysates with significant antioxidant and prolyl endopeptidase-inhibiting activities. Glycation under mild conditions was used as a strategy to improve the antioxidant and potential nootropic properties of the hydrolysates. During glycation, the free amino acid content decreased, total phenols and fluorescent compounds increased significantly, and low molecular weight melanoidins were formed. The presence of peptide-glucose conjugates was also confirmed by FTIR. Glycation increased the antioxidant activities of the hydrolysates; however, their prolyl-endopeptidase-inhibiting activity was lost. Results showed that compounds with promising antioxidant (hydrolysis and glycation) and potential nootropic (hydrolysis) activities and applications in food systems were obtained from the biotechnological strategy used.

Innovative Non-Thermal Technologies for Recovery and Valorization of Value-Added Products from Crustacean Processing By-Products-An Opportunity for a Circular Economy Approach

The crustacean processing industry has experienced significant growth over recent decades resulting in the production of a great number of by-products. Crustacean by-products contain several valuable components such as proteins, lipids, and carotenoids, especially astaxanthin and chitin. When isolated, these valuable compounds are characterized by bioactivities such as anti-microbial, antioxidant, and anti-cancer ones, and that could be used as nutraceutical ingredients or additives in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Different innovative non-thermal technologies have appeared as promising, safe, and efficient tools to recover these valuable compounds. This review aims at providing a summary of the main compounds that can be extracted from crustacean by-products, and of the results obtained by applying the main innovative non-thermal processes for recovering such high-value products. Moreover, from the perspective of the circular economy approach, specific case studies on some current applications of the recovered compounds in the seafood industry are presented. The extraction of valuable components from crustacean by-products, combined with the development of novel technological strategies aimed at their recovery and purification, will allow for important results related to the long-term sustainability of the seafood industry to be obtained. Furthermore, the reuse of extracted components in seafood products is an interesting strategy to increase the value of the seafood sector overall. However, to date, there are limited industrial applications for this promising approach.

Influence of temperature fluctuations on growth and recrystallization of ice crystals in frozen peeled shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) pre-soaked with carrageenan oligosaccharide and xylooligosaccharide

Temperature fluctuation is a common problem in the frozen storage of shrimp products. This study investigated the influence of carrageenan oligosaccharide (CO) and xylooligosaccharide (XO) on the growth and recrystallization of ice crystals in frozen peeled shrimp exposed to temperature fluctuations. Shrimp soaked with water and 3.0% (w/v) Na₄P₂O₇ solution were designated as the negative and positive controls, respectively. Our data revealed that both CO- and XO-soaked shrimp had significant improvements in thawing and cooking loss, myofibrillar protein content, Ca²⁺-ATPase activity, and textural variables when exposed to temperature fluctuations compared to control samples. Microstructural imaging indicated that soaking the shrimp in CO and XO slowed the progression of damage caused to tissue myofibrils by large ice crystals, as well as inhibited the growth and recrystallization of ice crystals in muscle tissues. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed that treatment with the oligosaccharides exhibited marked effects on the stability of muscle proteins and inhibited the degradation of muscle proteins affected by the temperature fluctuations. Based on these data, we hypothesize that the incorporated CO and XO may bind to muscle proteins and capture water molecules in the myofibrillar network through hydrogen bonding, thereby suppressing the myofibrillar denaturation and tissue structure destruction induced by the growth and recrystallization of ice crystals.

Bioaccessibility and antimicrobial properties of a shrimp demineralization extract blended with chitosan as wrapping material in ready-to-eat raw salmon

A shrimp extract (SME) obtained from the mild-acid demineralization treatment of shrimp shells to produce chitosan was collected. It was mainly composed of fat (≈73%), protein (≈19%), and ash (≈9%) and contained considerable amounts of calcium (≈1.9 g/100 g), astaxanthin (≈30 mg/100 g) and unsaturated fatty acids (≈27% MUFA, ≈39% PUFA). The SME was used in combination with chitosan for wrapping raw salmon to produce a ready-to-eat product enriched in calcium. No significant changes in hardness were found, as compared to the unwrapped salmon. Estimated intakes of bioaccessible calcium increased significantly by 3.6-fold, whereas intake of bioaccessible fat was reduced by 15%. SFA were the main fatty acid group reduced (≈80%), whereas MUFA and PUFA were only reduced by ≈20% each. Total viable counts, pseudomonads, enterobacteria, and specific fish spoilers were reduced by 2-4 log CFU/g in wrapped sample during the chilled storage period (19 days).

Functional and Film-forming Properties of Mechanically Deboned Chicken Meat Proteins

In the present study, the functional properties of mechanically deboned chicken meat proteins (MDCM-Ps) were determined at different pH (2, 4, 6, 8 and 12), and film-forming properties were evaluated depending on MDCM-P (2, 3 and 4 %) and glycerol (30, 40 and 50 %) concentrations. The highest solubility, emulsifying and foaming properties were determined at pH 12. MDCM-P solutions showed non-polyelectrolyte behavior and gelation onset temperature was determined at 36 °C. Film-forming properties of MDCM-P showed that the tensile strength decreased, and elongation at break increased as glycerol concentration increased. Films became more transparent with increasing glycerol and decreasing protein concentration, while water vapor permeability increased with increasing glycerol and protein concentration. Water sorption data of films were fitted to the Guggenheim, Anderson, and De Boer model. In general, equilibrium moisture content of films increased as glycerol level increased. Overall, the results showed that MDCM-P could be useful as a new protein source for both food and packaging industries.

Pharmaceutical films made from the waste material from the preparation of propolis extracts: development and characterization

abstract This study investigated the development and characterized the physicochemical properties of films obtained from by-products (BP) from the preparation of propolis extracts. Films were produced in the presence and absence of a polymeric adjuvant (gelatin or ethylcellulose) and propylene glycol by a solvent casting method. Density, surface topography by scanning electron microscopy, mechanical properties (folding endurance, tensile strength and percentage elongation), water vapour permeability (WVP), moisture uptake capacity, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were determined. The films were a transparent, light greenish-yellow colour, with a uniform surface, and were flexible and easy to handle. The thickness and density of the preparations indicated that the compounds were homogeneously dispersed throughout the film. Mechanical properties were influenced by the film composition; films containing gelatin were more resistant to stress, while those containing ethylcellulose were more flexible. Increasing the adjuvant concentration decreased the elasticity and the rupture resistance, but increased the moisture uptake capacity and WVP of the formulations. BP was thermally stable as were the films. FTIR tests suggested interactions between BP and the adjuvants. This work could contribute to the utilization of BP to prepare films for food and pharmaceutical uses