Rising ocean acidity could cause farm-raised tiger shrimps to lose their flavor and reduce the value of the species, which is economically important to Taiwan’s aquaculture sector, a study has found.
The study, conducted by an international team led by National Sun Yat-sen University researchers, was published in the UK-based journal Nature: Science Reports on Oct. 27.
Tiger shrimps are an important seafood export, and are a feature at Taiwanese restaurants and in home-cooked meals, said Hung Chin-chang (洪慶章), dean of the university’s College of Marine Sciences.
Photo: CNA
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if carbon emission levels remain as they are, the ocean’s pH levels would drop from 8.1 to 7.7 by the end of the century, he said.
To simulate future acid levels, the team conducted a controlled exposure experiment where adult shrimps were placed in a normal environment with a pH level of 8 and an acidic one with a pH level of 7.5, a team spokesperson said.
After 28 days, chemical analysis showed that shrimps in the acidic environment had an amino acid content of 17.6 percent, worse than the 19.5 percent amino acid content of those in the normal environment.
Photo: CNA
The loss of amino acid content includes a reduction in glutamate and aspartic acids, which are associated with the umami taste found in the shrimp, they said.
A blind tasting involving 40 volunteers found that shrimps reared in acidic seawater were inferior to those reared in normal seawater in taste and appearance, the two primary metrics that drive consumer preference, they said.
The shrimps kept in acidic water also had a mortality rate that was 13 percent higher than normal, they said.
The study offers compelling evidence that ocean acidity is linked to a decline in the quality of tiger shrimps and would have great implications for aquafarms in the region that cultivate the species, they said.
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