Quality aggregation of sete-barbas shrimp (Xiphopenaeus kroyeri) disembarked in the coast of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Fishery sector plays an important role in food supply, being responsible for more than 15% of total animal protein consumed. Crustaceans occupy the fourth place in volume of capture and their high economic value make them relevant in the overall financial value generated by the fishery activity. Nowadays, the guarantee of quality is basic requirement to be kept in market, with established and required specifications either from national sanitary authorities or from countries where fisheries products are exported. In the case of marine shrimp, the concept of quality involves physical, chemical, biological and sensory attributes, and also capture, processing and storage techniques, traceability, product presentation, and environmental and social responsibility of the industry. In the shrimp market, among all difficulties, melanosis and abusive use of additives are the events who bring more financial and quality losses. The offer of products with poor quality can lead to serious consequences to the consumer’s health. Since the marine shrimp constitutes the primary responsible for global supply of the product and its importance in terms of foreign exchange earned by exports, it is needed to develop and to implement a program of quality management for this product, and initially it must be develop standardization and/or regulation of quality species-specific, due to the many intrinsic factors in the species to determine its quality.