How to identify shrimp containing impurities

Harmful effects of injecting impurities into shrimp

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - former lecturer at the Institute of Biotechnology and Food, Hanoi University of Science and Technology - affirmed in the press that injecting impurities into shrimp is first and foremost an act of commercial fraud. Adding impurities to shrimp is to increase the weight, size, change the texture of the shrimp or deceive the feeling of freshness of the product...

According to technical documents, the maximum amount of impurities added to shrimp can be up to 10%, in some cases it can be up to 20%. That is, in 10 kg of shrimp injected with impurities, there can be up to 2 kg of impurities.

The type of impurities commonly used to help shrimp gain weight is agar powder, also known as agar powder, in addition to Adao (gelatin), starch, ... or it can be a mixture of the above substances.

The expert shared that agar powder is edible. Therefore, if we eat shrimp injected with a small amount of agar powder, we do not need to worry too much. However, commercial fraud for personal gain must be condemned.

In addition, experts also confirm that eating shrimp injected with impurities in the long term can also cause harm to the digestive tract, mildly causing food poisoning, diarrhea, and more seriously, can cause accumulation of toxins and dirt in the body causing chronic diseases. Because when shrimp, fish... contain foreign impurities, especially in liquid form, it will become a favorable environment for many types of dangerous bacteria to develop.

In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Board (HSB) also noted that if the methods of introducing impurities into shrimp are done using unsanitary tools and means, most shrimp products containing impurities will not meet food safety regulations and may affect the health of consumers.

Identify shrimp containing impurities

To avoid buying shrimp injected with impurities, the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Committee has pointed out the following ways to identify:

Outside observation:Observe the whole body and each external part of the shrimp in order from head to tail, paying attention to the head, body and tail of the shrimp.

In shrimp bodies injected with impurities, it is clear to see the unnatural swelling of muscle segments. Photo:Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Committee

- Shrimp head: Shrimp injected with impurities often have swollen heads, even protruding from the body. The gill covers are swollen and water-filled.

- Body: Shrimp with impurities have the abdominal shell segment 1 or segment 3 (from head to tail) swollen, water-filled, and scaly when touched.

- The third segment is stretched, the shrimp body is stretched, even unnaturally round.

- Tail: Signs of shrimp being injected with impurities at the tail are relatively easy to recognize, that is, the tail spines are upturned and the tail wings are spread.

Observe when peeling shrimp:

-Peel the breast shell: Hold the shrimp head down, use your hand to peel the breast shell to expose the head meat. Use the tip of a sharp knife to skillfully flip and push the brick (hepatopancreas) up to expose the breast cavity. Observe the condition of the breast cavity to see if there is any suspicious fluid accumulation. If it is a natural shrimp, there will be no fluid.

- Peeling the shrimp body: After peeling the shrimp body, pay attention to the appearance of the shrimp body, especially the 3rd, 4th and 6th segments to see if there are signs of swelling of the muscle segments. In shrimp bodies injected with impurities, the muscle segments can be clearly seen to be unnaturally swollen. For shrimp injected with many impurities, use a needle to prick the swollen muscle segment on the abdomen or back and squeeze it with your hand to see the impurities extruded.

Therefore, to ensure health safety and fight against commercial fraud, consumers should apply tips to identify shrimp containing impurities.