THE AMERICAN SHRIMP INDUSTRY 595 



in a form that makes it unavailable for absorption during metabolism. Pottinger 

 and Baldwin (1939) report the following per cents of essential amino acids in 

 shrimp meat: Arginine, 7.50; Histidine, 1.61; Lysine, 7.35; Tryptophane, 0.96; 

 and Cystine, 1.25. 



Marketing 



Iced Shrimp, The bulk of shrimp caught on the Atlantic Coast, particularly 

 in Florida and Georgia, is shipped fresh, principally to northern markets. As a rule 

 the heads are removed. When the shrimp are ready for shipment, they are packed 

 in ice in barrels. Certain markets, however, such as Charleston, South Carolina, 

 and Havana, Cuba, demand the whole shrimp. Since the heads constitute from 

 40 to 45 per cent of the weight of the whole shrimp, heading prior to shipment 

 is an economical procedure. 



Shrimp intended for shipping fresh must be handled with extreme care from 

 the time they are removed from the fishermen's nets until they are placed aboard 

 the train. Shrimp are usually iced as soon as they are put on board the vessel. 

 They should be headed and the bodies thoroughly washed and promptly refriger- 

 ated after being landed at the pier. This prevents the accumulation of slime and 

 liquids from the stomach, which is in the head portion. 



Alternate layers of ice and chilled shrimp are placed in a barrel provided with 

 drainage holes. A large cake of ice or "header" is placed on top of the barrel. 

 Another method is to place a long narrow cake of ice on end in the barrel and 

 pack the shrimp around the cake. The header cake is placed on top, and the 

 barrel and its contents are covered with burlap. 



Cooked Shrimp. Limited quantities of shrimp are cooked in brine previous to 

 shipment. In cooking, the whole or headless shrimp are placed in wire baskets 

 and dipped into boiling 15 per cent brine for 15 to 20 minutes. The cooked shrimp 

 are cooled in a chill room to 35° F (1.7° C) or less, and then shipped in a sealed 

 package, usually a 1-gallon telescope-top tin can, surrounded by ice. Occasionally, 

 live steam is used for cooking shrimp. The shrimp are sprinkled evenly v^dth salt 

 and allowed to stand for a short time. They are then placed in a steamtight box 

 and steamed for half an hour. This process obviates the necessity for making and 

 handling brines, requires less salt, prevents soaking out of flavors, and results in 

 less loss in weight. Sometimes a light brine, which is supposed to act as a pre- 

 servative, is added to the cooked shrimp when they are packed in tight cans. 

 The brines used contain about 8 per cent salt. Heavier solutions tend to make 

 the shrimp leathery and oversalty; weaker ones produce softness and flabbiness 

 in the stock and have no appreciable preservative effect. 



Steamed shrimp, after being cooled, are packed in 1- to 5-gallon shipping tins 

 that are lined with paper and provided with watertight covers which are fastened 

 tightly to the can. The sealed cans are then packed in burlap-covered barrels 

 with drainage holes at the bottom. Such packages are re-iced when necessary by 

 the express company and will remain in good condition even in warm weather. 



Canning 



If canning is not undertaken at the time shrimp are landed at the cannery dock, 

 they are packed in chopped ice and held until enough shrimp are on hand to 

 justify packing operations. The shrimp go from the fishing vessel, or from the 



