Lipid Fraction from Industrial Crustacean Waste and Its Potential as a Supplement for the Feed Industry: A Case Study in Argentine Patagonia

Abstract

In central Patagonia, the most important crustaceans caught are the Argentine red shrimp (ARS) (Pleoticus muelleri) andthe southern king crab (SKC) (Lithodes santolla). Their industrial processing generates large amounts of waste, which causeenvironmental pollution and ecological imbalances. The recovery of valuable compounds from this waste could bring economicbenefits to the region. Comparative dry-basis proximal analysis of shells of ARS and SKC showed similar values ofchitin (19 and 20%, respectively), slight but significant differences in proteins and ashes (18 and 48% for SKC and 26 and55% for ARS), and 8 times higher content of lipids in ARS (4%) than in SKC (0.5%) shells. Nowadays, the waste generatedby the processing of ARS (18000 t/year) is almost 180 times higher than that of SKC (100 t/year) and comprises notonly shells but also heads (S + H). Nevertheless, taking into account that the amount of waste of SKC could increase in thefuture, the information about its chemical composition becomes relevant and is thus also reported in this work. The analysisof S + H of ARS showed the highest lipid content (11%), and the wet basis analysis of its fatty acids and carotenoids at differentcatch times showed a constant high level of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) eicosapentaenoicand docosahexaenoic (5.0 g kg−1) and statistically significant variation in the carotenoid content, which can reach up to158.8 mg kg−1. The results suggest potentials for recovering valuable n-3-PUFAs and carotenoids from ARS waste.