A comparative study on the taste quality of whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) under two different transportation strategies

Abstract

The current study comprehensively investigated the impacts of simulated water-based transportation and waterless transportation on the taste attributes and nonvolatile taste components in shrimp muscle. The results of the electronic tongue revealed that the umami sensation increased while the sweetness decreased after transportation. The primary taste components of shrimp muscle from the various transportation groups were identified using two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy, including free amino acids, nucleotides, and organic acids. The highest equivalent umami concentration was observed in the waterless transportation group (18.78 g MSG/100 g), followed by the water-based transportation (15.33 g MSG/100 g) and fresh groups (12.08 g MSG/100 g). The contents of main taste-active compounds, especially umami amino acids, organic acids, Na+, Cl−, and 5′-nucleotides, were higher in the shrimp muscle of the waterless transportation group, which were more likely to be accepted and preferred. This research provided insights into improving shrimp muscle taste quality through the appropriate application of transportation strategies.