The use of speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros) and red shrimp (Aristaeomorpha foliacea) meats for snack food production and investigation of effects of process variables on product quality

Shrimps are important food sources with well-balanced amino acid, rich protein and mineral contents. Shrimp meat has a slight but unique aroma with smooth and sensitive textural quality. Shrimps are consumed mostly as fresh, cooked, marinated, dried and salted. The name snack food covers a wide range of food products. They are consumed as light meals or a partial replacement for a regular meal. Dried fruits, biscuits, crackers, snack products and chips are considered as snack foods. The aim of the current study was to use shrimp meat in snack food production with corn, wheat and rice flours by the application of extrusion and novel food processing technology. For this purpose, firstly the corn meal was fortified with 20% dried shrimp mince and passed through a twin-screw extruder using moisture contents of 17%, 20% and 23%, screw speeds of 200, 350 and 500 rpm and barrel temperatures of 110 ºC, 130 ºC and 150ºC. Protein, moisture, oil, ash salt, pH, hardness, specific mechanical energy (SME), bulk density, expansion ratio, colour analyses were carried out in order to determine the effects of production parameters on product quality.Moisture contents of extruded snack were found between 10.51-19.18%, protein contents were between 18.16-20.47% and oil and mineral contents were 1.59-2.20% and 2.14-2.36% respectively. The highest protein content were found in snack samples with initial moisture of 17%, production temperature of 150°C and extruder screw speed of 350rpm. The highest hardness values were found snack samples with initial moisture of 20%, production temperature of 110°C and extruder screw speed of 350 rpm. Moreover the highest sensory score were determined in the samples with initial moisture of 20%, production temperature of 150°C and extruder screw speed of 500 rpm while the lowest scores were found in the samples with initial moisture of 20%, production temperature of 110°C and extruder screw speed of 200 rpm. For the second product minced shrimp was mixed with wheat flour and wheat + rice flour and cooked by two different methods (frying and baking) for snack production. Protein, moisture, oil, ash salt, pH, hardness, water absorption capacity, snack thickness and sensory analyses were carried out in order to determine the effects of production parameters on product quality. Protein content of the shrimp snack samples were calculated in the range of 7.09-17.76 %. Increased shrimp mince content in flour mix increased protein content of snacks and contributed to product quality and sensory evaluation. Moisture and oil contents of snack samples were ranged between 3.13-8.35 % and 5.18-21.65 % respectively. The highest protein content (15.21%) and the highest hardness value (7.43 N/mm) were found in the fried snack samples containing wheat + rice flour and 50%shrimp meat. Addition of shrimp meat into product formulation caused decrease in fat content of snack product. Baking was found to be more acceptable in terms of healthy eating and quality compared to frying. According to sensory analyses fired samples were more preferred by the panellists. It was found that while flour used in the formulation did not affect the quality of snack, addition of shrimp meat affected.