The regular shell colour of farmed Litopenaeus vannamei is off -white to greenish-white but instances of L. vannamei with brown-shell colour do occur in farmed shrimp. Physically, except for colour, the white-shelled vannamei and brown-shelled vannamei appear similar.
A study was conducted to determine if there were differences in the white- and brown-shelled shrimp vis-à-vis shell colour, meat colour, meat composition and meat texture. White-shelled vannamei was determined to be better in terms of meat composition and texture profile but brown-shelled vannamei yielded a more brightly red-coloured cooked product.
Reference (open):
B. Madhusudana Rao, P. Viji and Jesmi Debbarma. Shell colour variation in farmed Litopenaeus vannamei: Comparison of white shell (regular) and brown shell (unusual) L. vannamei. Aquaculture, Volume XXI No. 1, January-March 2017
http://www.enaca.org/modules/library/publication.php?publication_id=1193
Source: NACA
Editor at the digital magazine AquaHoy. He holds a degree in Aquaculture Biology from the National University of Santa (UNS) and a Master’s degree in Science and Innovation Management from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with postgraduate diplomas in Business Innovation and Innovation Management. He possesses extensive experience in the aquaculture and fisheries sector, having led the Fisheries Innovation Unit of the National Program for Innovation in Fisheries and Aquaculture (PNIPA). He has served as a senior consultant in technology watch, an innovation project formulator and advisor, and a lecturer at UNS. He is a member of the Peruvian College of Biologists and was recognized by the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) in 2016 for his contribution to aquaculture.
