Properties, translucence, and microstructure of Pacific white shrimp treated with mixed phosphates as affected by freshness and deveining.

Effects of freshness and deveining on some properties, translucence, and microstructure of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) soaked in 2.5% NaCl containing different phosphates were studied. Shrimp soaked in all solutions had increases in weight gain and cooking yield with lowered cooking loss, compared with the control (P < 0.05). However, efficacy of mixed phosphates in quality improvement of ice-stored shrimp was lower than fresh shrimp. Deveining resulted in increased weight gain and yield (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, samples treated with phosphates became more translucent. Shrimp stored in ice for 7 d and treated with mixed phosphates were generally more translucent than fresh counterparts (P < 0.05). Shrimp soaked in 2.5% NaCl containing 0.875% sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP) and 2.625% tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) were generally less translucent and had high weight gain and cooking yield along with low cooking loss. The microstructure study revealed that the muscle fibers were less attached with the loss of Z-disks after being treated with mixed phosphates. Cooked meats of fresh shrimp and ice-stored shrimp had more compact fiber arrangement with the shrinkage of sarcomere compared with raw samples. Disintegration was observed at the M-line in ice-stored shrimp treated with mixed phosphates after cooking, while such a phenomenon was not found in the cooked fresh sample treated with phosphates. T(max) and enthalpy of both myosin and actin peaks shifted to lower values when shrimp were treated with mixed phosphates (P < 0.05). Those changes were generally more pronounced in ice-stored shrimp. Therefore, freshness and deveining process had an impact on the quality of Pacific white shrimp treated with phosphates.