Astaxanthin recovery from Atlantic shrimp (Pandalus borealis) processing materials

Abstract The proximate composition and astaxanthin content in different samples (cooked shells, cooked meat, cooked whole and raw whole) of Atlantic shrimp Pandalus borealis were investigated. The moisture percentage for all samples was similar within a range of 74-76%. The ash percentage was highest in cooked shells (26.57%). Raw whole shrimp had the highest lipid percentage (14.79%) and cooked meat had the highest protein percentage (92.93%). The amount of astaxanthin extracted from cooked shells was superior (284.48 μg/g) compared to other samples. The use of moderately polar solvent (acetone) or solvent combination (hexane/isopropanol, 3:2 (v:v) resulted in higher yield of astaxanthin from all shrimp parts studied, compared to the use of methanol, which has stronger polarity. Cooking showed no significant effect on astaxanthin yield under studied conditions. The high astaxanthin content in shrimp shells indicates the great potential of valorization of shrimp processing materials and development of astaxanthin-enriched products.