Biochemical composition of three species of fairy shrimp (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) from Thailand

Abstract

Biochemical profiles and proximate analysis of three species of fairy shrimps from Thailand, Streptocephalus sirindhornae, S. siamensis, and Branchinella thailandensis are characterized and compared. The nutritional analysis reveals that all three species contain high protein levels, particularly essential amino acids that are needed for growth and reproduction. Streptocephalus sirindhornae contains significantly higher crude protein (74.41%) than B. thailandensis (64.65%) and S. siamensis (50.24%). The highest percent of crude lipid (9.34%) and carbohydrate (32.69%) contents are found in S. siamensis. The highest amino acid content is recorded in S. sirindhornae (784.92 mg g -1 dw) followed by that of B. thailandensis (596.12 mg g -1 dw) and S. siamensis (439.58 mg g -1 dw). Predominant amino acids found in all three species are lysine, phenylalanine, leucine, tyrosine, and glutamic acid. For fatty acids, palmitic acid C16:0, oleic acid C18:1n9, stearic acid C18:0, linolenic acid C18:3n3, and linoleic acid C18:2n6 are found to be major components. Branchinella thailandensis has the highest carotenoid content of 254.41 μg g -1, followed by S. siamensis (211.92 μg g -1) and S. sirindhornae (128.93 μg g -1). Carotenoid content analysis show the presence of dominant groups consisting of β-carotene, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin, and lutein. The presence of essential fatty acids, amino acids, and carotenoids is the principal factor that determines the food value of Thai fairy shrimps for aquaculture application. These biochemical attributes make these Thai fairy shrimps ideal as feed for aquaculture. © The Crustacean Society, 2012. Published by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden.