In order to better formulate an artificial shrimp diet, the protein composition of shrimp was assessed and the essential amino acids determined. Penaeus aztecus were treated to remove lipids, carbohydrates and other interfering substances, and the protein was hydrolyzed to its constituent amino acids. The amino acids were then quantitatively analyzed by gasliquid chromatography as their trimethylsilyl derivatives. The essential amino acids were then determined. Shrimp were injected with 14C-labeled glucose and analyses performed to determine which amino acids then exhibited radioactivity, i.e., were synthesized from the labeled glucose. Those amino acids which were not manufactured from the glucose were categorized as "essential".

The present study describes the fatty acid composition of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) at two different growth stages, juvenile and spawned female. It was noted that P. aztecus contained large amounts of higher fatty acids typical of marine animals. Linolenic acid was present in greater quantities in juveniles than in adults. This information was used to perform growth trials to determine the growth rate of brown shrimp fed diets containing varying amounts of linolenic acid. Studies showed that increasing linolenic acid to the 1% level improved growth in juveniles by about 14% over growth achieved using diets without additive linolenic acid.

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