Effect of Blanching and Drying Methods on the Quality of Jawala Shrimp during Ambient Storage

Acetes is a little shrimp from the family Sergestidae, genus Acetes. In India, a large number of this group, known locally as 'Jawala' or 'Kolim,' catch is landed along the northwest coast of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Currently, it is consumed locally in either fresh or dried form. Acetes fresh use is highly limited due to their small size, high perishability, and fragile body, making it difficult to peel the shrimp manually or mechanically. The current study investigated the influence of blanching and drying temperatures on the quality of Jawala Shrimp. The study aimed to develop a high-quality dried shrimp product with an extended shelf life by using different combinations of salt concentrations (0%, 1%, and 2%), blanching temperatures (70°C and 80°C), and steaming at 100°C without salt, and further drying temperatures of 50°C and 60°C were evaluated for moisture, protein, fat, ash, TVB-N, TMA-N, TPC, upon treatments. The study found that shrimp with 2% salt blanched at 80°C and dried at 60°C to a moisture level of 14.33% had the best organoleptic and microbiological. Moisture content gradually increased during storage, while protein, fat, and ash decreased slightly but were better preserved in this combination, indicating the effect of storage on product stability.