Characterization and storage stability of astaxanthin esters, fatty acid profile and α-tocopherol of lipid extract from shrimp (L. vannamei) waste with potential applications as food ingredient

• Lipids from shrimp waste composed of fat, α-tocopherol, cholesterol, and astaxanthin.
• C16:0, C18:2n6c, C18:1n9c, C22:6n3, and C20:5n3 fatty acids were the most abundant.
• SFA, MUFA, and PUFA accounted for ≈31%, ≈25%, and ≈44% of total fatty acids.
• All-trans-astaxanthin, 2 cis isomers, 5 astaxanthin monoesters, and 10 diesters found.
• Astaxanthin, α-tocopherol gradually degraded upon storage; no lipid oxidation found.

In this work a lipid extract from shrimp waste was obtained and characterized. The most abundant fatty acids found were C16:0, C18:2n6c, C18:1n9c, C22:6n3, and C20:5n3. The extract contained all-trans-astaxanthin, two cis-astaxanthin isomers, 5 astaxanthin monoesters, and 10 astaxanthin diesters (7 ± 1 mg astaxanthin/g). C22:6n3 and C20:5n3 were the most frequent fatty acids in the esterified forms. Appreciable amounts of α-tocopherol and cholesterol were also found (126 ± 11 mg/g and 65 ± 1 mg/g, respectively). Little lipid oxidation was observed after 120 days of storage at room temperature, revealed by a slight reduction of ω-3 fatty acids, but neither accumulation of TBARS nor formation of oxidized cholesterol forms was found. This is attributed to the antioxidant effect of astaxanthin and α-tocopherol, as their concentrations decreased as storage continued. The lipid extract obtained has interesting applications as food ingredient, owing to the coloring capacity and the presence of healthy components.