UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 538 



Contribution from the Bureau of Chemistry 

 CARL L. ALSBERG, Chief 



j\W'&mru 



Washington, D. C. 



June 27, 1917 



SHRIMP : HANDLING, TRANSPORTATION, AND USES. 



By Ernest D. Clark, Investigator in Fish and Fish Products, and Leslie Mac- 

 Naughton, Formerly Assistant in Fish Investigations. "Prepared under the direction 

 of M. E. Pennington, Chief, Food Research Laboratory. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Icing 1 



Heading 2 



Cooking 2 



Preparing cooked shrimp for market 5 



Packing raw shrimp for shipment 6 



Dried shrimp and other specialties 6 



Food value of shrimp meat 7 



Utilization of shrimp waste 7 



Summary 8 



That both raw and cooked shrimp can be shipped to distant 

 markets without the use of preservatives and arrive in good con- 

 dition is established both by the experience of careful packers and 

 by the investigations reported in this bulletin. To do this, however, 

 the handler must observe two precautions. In the first place, he 

 must keep raw shrimp iced or cold from the time they are caught 

 until they reach the consumer. Secondly, he must wash the raw 

 shrimp thoroughly, as soon as possible, in order to remove slime 

 and foul stomach contents which are likely to contaminate the 

 product and give it an unsatisfactory color or flavor after it has been 

 cooked. Careful handling is necessary at every stage to avoid un- 

 necessary breaking or damaging of the shrimp. 



ICING. 



Unless they are iced or cooled immediately when caught, shrimp 

 will soften quickly, especially in warm weather. Whenever there is 

 danger of such softening, shrimp boats or trawlers should carry 

 plenty of ice. Shrimp buyers should refuse to take stock that is not 

 in good condition at the dock. Heavy icing is particularly important 

 when the shrimp are molting, because then they are soft, easily 

 broken in handling, and more subject to decomposition. 



Care in handling shrimp properly begins the moment the net is 

 raised. All soft, damaged, or small shrimp should be culled out and 



83184°— Bull. 538—17 



